The Infamous Prom Catastrophe
by theSeacopath
Summary: This story is something I've been wanting to write for a long time: the problem Calvin and Susie face when misguided parents play matchmaker! This should be interesting. Rated T for now, but might change it later. Calvin and Hobbes belong to the wonderful mind of Bill Watterson.
1. Chapter 1: Rides and Runaways

**Chapter 1: Rides and Runaways**

 _Author's Notes: For Calvin's solo ride, I recommend listening to "Killin' Floor" by Blues Saraceno. For his second one, I recommend "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" by Fall Out Boy._

 _Enjoy!  
-the Seacopath_

The morning broke over the Watterson household, and the harsh, abrasive noise of an alarm clock pierced the silence. The clock in question soon found a fist smashing into the top of it, cutting off the ringing alarm with a crunch. Calvin Watterson dragged himself out of bed and sluggishly dressed himself in his favorite red-and-black-striped t-shirt, and black pants. He slipped his feet into his bright red and black Converse high-tops, and tried vainly to tame his unruly blond hair.  
"You know it's never gonna behave like you want it to," called a voice. On Calvin's bed, Hobbes the tiger also rose from sleep. The homicidal psycho jungle cat stretched languidly and settled back down in a comfier spot.  
"Can't hurt to try though," Calvin muttered, opening his room door and heading downstairs. Two bowls of Chocolate-Frosted Sugar Bombs later, and the morning was looking up.

 _Squeak…bzzt…squeak…bzzt…squeak…bzzt…  
_ The garage echoed with the sounds of the socket wrench as Calvin worked on his motorcycle. Every so often, he turned to the tablet open on the floor beside him to consult the blueprints and schematics he downloaded, telling him how to upgrade the throttle response.  
 _Just like building a model plane_ , he thought smugly to himself as he tightened another bolt. However, all too soon, Calvin's father rapped on the garage door. "Time for school! And don't be late again! Your mother and I have something important to tell you when you get home, and I don't want you getting detention today, no matter how much character it builds!"  
Calvin sighed and picked up a screwdriver. Grumbling, he screwed the parts back into place and stood up.

Calvin shrugged on his black and orange leather jacket with a patch of a snarling tiger on the back. He mounted his motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson chopper he had built up from a burned-out frame he'd found in the junkyard. He'd finished building the bike with help from his dad months ago, but there was always room for improvement. At the turn of the key, the motorcycle growled to life, its headlight glowing orange. Calvin put the bike in gear and roared away from the house towards school.  
The bike's big v-twin engine woke up people and pets, and even set off a car alarm. None of this concerned Calvin. The wind was blowing through his hair, the sky was cloudless, and it was a perfect day for a ride. As he blasted through the streets, Calvin's iPod played his 'Playlist of Awesome'

The loud guitars and heavy bass blasted in Calvin's ears as he stopped at a traffic light. Next to him sat a kid on a Vespa. A grin spread across Calvin's face as the lights began to change. He twisted the throttle, drawing a loud growl from his bike's v-twin engine, and as soon as the light changed, he dumped the clutch.  
The black and orange Harley shot off the mark, leaving a _long_ black line in its wake. Calvin hauled back on the handlebars, lifting the front wheel into the air. It had taken a lot of practice on small cheap bikes, and a _lot_ of trial and error, to perfect the wheelie he was pulling now. The blond-haired teen roared through the streets toward school, finally easing off the throttle and letting the front wheel hit the ground when a corner began looming.

Calvin changed gears down and leaned smoothly into the corner, letting the big bike's centrifugal force keep him stuck to the road. As the corner straightened out, Calvin twisted the throttle and the bike shot forward. He kept this up for another mile; a dance of man and machine, leaning into corners and taking straights almost fast enough to make his head swell up like a balloon from the rushing air.  
Five minutes later, Calvin turned a corner and roared up the school's long driveway. Even three months after he'd built it, Calvin's Harley still caught eyes at school. Perhaps it was because of how out of place the big chopper looked among the tiny pit bikes and Vespa scooters in the parking lot. _Or it's just cause I painted it black and orange, and it looks damn cool_ , Calvin grinned to himself.

In fairness, the bike _was_ beautiful. Bright orange trim all over the motorcycle made the black base paint even darker. The fenders and the gas tank had a single orange stripe running down their length, and the sides of the gas tank were adorned with an image of, obviously, a tiger. Calvin switched off his music and took his keys from the ignition. Walking across the parking lot, Calvin jumped as a loud horn blasted in his ear. The driver of a _huge_ Ford F-350 slammed on the brakes and leaned out his window. "Hey Twinkie! Get the fuck outta the road!"  
Calvin jumped back as the truck roared past him, and stood there, seething until another voice caught his attention. Susie Derkins walked up behind Calvin and punched him in the shoulder.

"Oww!" Calvin mock-groaned. "How do you even punch so strong? Is there something you're not telling me?" he smirked, as Susie's face turned red.  
"Actually there is something I haven't told you, Calvin," Susie returned the smirk and leaned in. She grabbed Calvin's ear and twisted. "I've been taking Karate lessons, so I could kick your ass any time."  
"I'd like to see you try," Calvin chuckled. "What's really up?" he asked curiously as Susie's smirk left her face.  
"I overheard my mom talking to your mom on the way out the door this morning," Susie sighed. "It turns out she wants us to go to the prom together, and your mom was on board with the idea."  
Calvin jumped and looked around in horror. "She can't do that!" he hissed. "Didn't you tell her about the contract we signed?"

Susie sighed again. "I didn't say anything to her; I just got out of there and ran to the bus. What are we going to do? My mom is a force of nature; when she gets an idea, there's no stopping her!"  
Calvin thought for a moment. "Let's just hear our parents out, and then make our objections with a unified front, huh? I'll even give you a ride home so we can get it out of the way quickly."  
Susie looked over to where Calvin's chopper sat, orange parts gleaming in the sun, and an idea bloomed in her head. "That sounds good. And when we get there, do your best to act like a jerk so my mom will reconsider! Trust me, the bike will help."  
Now it was Calvin's turn to look offended. Susie quickly backtracked. "I mean, it makes you look more dangerous and tough and scary."  
Calvin's smirk told Susie that she shouldn't have kept talking. Calvin swaggered off, grinning to himself. "Big, tough, scary rebel, that's me!"  
Susie buried her head in her hands as the bell rang.

The day dragged on slower than a Venusian Slug-Man getting out of bed in the morning. Calvin sat at his desk and absently doodled, until his stupor was broken by his teacher.  
"For the last time, Mister Watterson, pay attention!" Miss Wilson shouted, smacking her pointer on the board to accompany her last two words. Calvin jerked awake, but within five minutes, he'd started to zone out again. A few seats over, Susie glanced at Calvin, and jumped a little in shock as she saw what he was drawing. In the sketch, Susie sat astride Calvin's black and orange Harley-Davidson, her hair flowing in an imaginary breeze. She was dressed in a leather jacket that showed a _bit_ too much cleavage, and skintight jeans that hugged her butt. On the gas tank of the drawn motorcycle was the word ' _Rebel_ ' in flowing cursive script. Susie snapped her attention back to her work, a blush creeping up her face despite her best efforts. Mercifully, the bell rang a minute later, and the mad stampede of students anxious to get home soon followed.

After about half an hour of waiting under a tree for Calvin's detention to finish, Susie looked up as a loud engine approached. Calvin roared up on his bike, looking every bit the rebel. A black cloth covered the lower half of his face, and a pair of Ray-Bans shielded his eyes. In stark contrast, his blond hair practically glowed in the sunlight. Calvin tossed Susie a helmet and patted the saddle behind him. "Climb on."  
Susie put the helmet down and faced Calvin with her hands on her hips. "Where's your helmet?" Calvin pointed to the one on the grass.  
"Oh," Susie nodded, before continuing. "Let's get something straight," she said sternly. "We are going straight to my house and you don't have a helmet, so no joyriding or dangerous stunts. After you drop me off, you can do all the crazy stuff you like."  
"Sure," Calvin rolled his eyes under his shades. "I'll pull a huge wheelie…for the last five yards to my house _next door_. What's the point in that?"  
Exactly," Susie smirked, picking up the helmet and her book bag as Calvin grumbled.

Across the parking lot, Moe and his crew, Andy, Steve and Mick, watched Calvin and Susie's conversation. "What do we do, Moe?" Andy said gormlessly.  
Moe cracked his knuckles. "Let's teach the Twinkie a lesson 'bout standin' in my truck's way."  
Moe's three cronies grinned as he climbed into the cab and started the engine. "Come on, morons!" he called down. "Get up here before those sissies get gone!"

Meanwhile, Susie strapped her book bag tightly to her back and grabbed onto Calvin's jacket with a grip like a vice. "Promise me I won't fall off," she said apprehensively. Calvin twisted the throttle and the bike let out a roar. Susie let out a small _eep_ as the powerful motorcycle growled. Calvin twisted around and gave Susie a little smirk under his mask. "Relax. Just lean when I do, and don't worry about falling off. Also, there are loops on my jacket. Grab those."  
Susie looked closely and saw a pair of leather loops just under the arms of Calvin's riding jacket. She grabbed them like handles as Calvin put the chopper into gear and smoothly pulled away.

Calvin's bike cruised down the driveway of the school, and Calvin gave Susie her first shock when he leaned over to the right. Susie tried to counter the lean, until Calvin pulled her down with him using the loop on his jacket. At the same time, the engine growled and the bike surged forward through the corner. As the initial shock wore off, Susie punched Calvin in the shoulder. "Don't scare me like that!" she shouted indignantly. He just shrugged and changed gear.  
Several turns later, Susie found herself relaxing a little more and trusting Calvin not to flip them to a painful, skin-shredding demise. She stared curiously at the tiger patch adorning the back of Calvin's jacket, until a horn _blared_ behind them.

Susie's head whipped around to see Moe's huge truck barreling down on them. She turned back to Calvin just as he nodded. "Hold on."  
Susie grabbed the loops on Calvin's jacket again as he changed gear down and twisted the bike's throttle all the way open. The v-twin _howled_ and the chopper leapt forward at a speed that slammed Susie's stomach against her spine.  
In Moe's truck, Steve was getting a verbal blasting.  
"What the hell was that?" Moe shouted. "You don't honk at the idiots you're about to run over! We'll never catch them now!" With that, he stomped the gas pedal to the floor, and his truck surged ahead.

Calvin's bike tore up the asphalt, engine roaring, Susie screaming as she held onto Calvin's jacket for dear life. Calvin controlled the bike like an extension of his own body, weaving in and out of traffic, at times almost scraping the pavement with his legs. A big-rig loomed ahead, and Calvin spied a section of straight, open road. Calvin leaned hard to the left and blasted past the rig, doing at least 90 miles an hour, _on the wrong side of the road_. Calvin cut right in front of the rig, eliciting a loud honk from the trucker. In the rear-view mirror, between the semi truck and a car, Calvin saw Moe's truck slow down; caught behind the rig and an old lady in the tiny Japanese hatchback. Even from that distance, there was no mistaking the fury on Moe's face.  
A wide smirk spread across Calvin's face. "Hold on," he called to Susie again.  
Susie's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you doing…" Just then, Calvin opened the throttle and hauled back on the handlebars.  
" _CALVIIIINNN!_ " Susie screamed as the chopper's front wheel lifted up. Calvin lifted his middle finger high in the air as he sped away from Moe and his cronies, before dropping out of the wheelie.

Moe ground his teeth as the Twinkie's bike disappeared around a corner. His cronies shrank in their seats, afraid to say anything for fear of incurring Moe's wrath. What they didn't see were the wheels turning in Moe's brain, thinking of a plan to get revenge on the Twinkie for embarrassing him and getting his truck stuck behind a goddamn old lady. _This is gonna be delicious._

 _Author's Notes:  
So, this is my first attempt at a Calvin and Hobbes fanfic. Please don't mince your words of praise or criticism, because I want to get better at this, and I can't do that without the help of you, the readers.  
A few notes, in case anyone wants to start whining:_

 _In this story, Calvin and Susie are both eighteen, so any romantic/sexy stuff is legal._

 _I had Calvin_ build _his bike because I've seen too many stories where he is purely artistically inclined (drawing, writing, etc.)  
I wanted to switch up his skill set a bit. Sure, he can still draw and create whole worlds in his head, but I wanted him to be able to do more. And as his Dad would say, "When you're building a project, you're building character." Also, I've seen too many stories where he rides a bicycle, or (shudder) a Vespa. I wanted something that sets Calvin apart from the rest of the shmucks at school. And let's face it; choppers are seriously badass. I'm sticking with this one._

 _I gave Moe a big attitude and a bigger truck because what says, 'Get outta my fucking way, you peasants' quite like a lifted Ford F-350 with a train horn on it? Answer: Not much.  
We'll see more of Moe later on. I also made him a little smarter, so he's going to be a bit more of a challenge for Calvin to deal with. No sense making an invincible hero, right? (Spoilers)  
Anyway, the next chapter is coming up very soon.  
Till then,  
-the Seacopath_


	2. Chapter 2: Grease and Bullets

**Chapter 2: Grease and Bullets**

 _Author's notes:  
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of the Infamous Prom Catastrophe, cause here comes another one! I'll indicate song recommendations as they appear in the story_. _Enjoy!  
-the Seacopath_

 _(Song: "5 AM" by Logic)_

The black and orange chopper pulled up in front of the Derkins house, engine cooling fins glowing red, tires practically smoking. Calvin watched as Susie staggered off the bike before he dismounted smoothly. Calvin followed Susie to her front door, where Susie's mom opened it before her daughter's finger even hit the bell. "Susie!" she beamed. "You're just in time for your…surprise…" she trailed off, noticing Calvin in his grease-stained jeans, dark shades, facemask, and black leather jacket. The blond-haired teen nodded once.  
"Well, you may as well come in too, Calvin," Mrs. Derkins found her voice again. "Your parents are here too."  
Calvin's eyes widened in horror behind his sunglasses.

In the Derkins' living room, Mrs. Derkins placed a towel on the couch as Calvin swaggered in behind Susie. Calvin plopped down and began picking at his teeth under his facemask. _She wants a rebel, I'll give her a rebel_ , he thought to himself. However, it seemed Mrs. Derkins and Calvin's mother would not be undeterred.  
"Now Susie," Mrs. Derkins began. "Calvin's mother and I have been talking, and we've both decided it would be a good idea for you two to go to the prom together! Isn't that exciting?"  
Her smile fell flat at the stony looks from both teenagers, but it returned in full force after a second. "This is your last chance to enjoy high school before you go into the real world."

"Mom," Susie cleared her throat. " _Calvin_ and I have been talking, and we decided a long time ago that we would not go out on a date, or take each other to the prom. We even wrote up a contract that says so!"  
"You mean this contract?" piped up Calvin's father, holding up a yellowed piece of paper. It was the very same contract that Calvin and Susie had signed all those years ago. However, the bad news was still piling up.  
"This contract is actually void," Calvin's dad continued, looking pointedly at his son. "It needs to be signed by a person of authority like me. I know you stole my personal seal to make this contract, and I'm willing to overlook that, if you'll agree with what I'm saying."

Calvin shuddered, remembering the last time he'd gone through his dad's things. He hadn't been able to sit for a week. "Fine," he grumbled. With that, Calvin's dad tore the contract into pieces, and threw said pieces into the fireplace.  
Calvin looked on sadly as his last chance of escaping his fate literally went up in smoke. In contrast, both sets of parents looked very pleased with themselves.  
"Now," Susie's mother beamed. "Let's get planning!"

"Wait a minute!" Susie shouted. "Don't I get a say in this? I don't even want to go to the prom!"  
Susie's mother's face darkened for a moment. "Yes you are going," she almost hissed. "This is your only chance, and I will not have my only daughter miss out on her prom because she wants to study, or read alone in her room."  
As she took a breath, Susie's mother's smile returned in all its million-watt glory.

"Now, let's get planning!"

 _Much later…_

Calvin slammed the door of his bedroom and crashed down on his bed, fuming. Just deciding on what style and color of dress and tuxedo had taken the better part of an hour. After that, Susie's mother had taken everyone out, _two_ _towns_ _over_ , just to look at the options in the stores. And to make matters worse, Calvin couldn't ride his bike. He'd spent almost two hours sitting next to Susie in the car, desperately trying not to let his grease-stained jeans rub up against Susie's immaculate skirt through every corner.

"Oh come on," Hobbes smirked. "You could at least drop the act. You totally enjoyed being so close to her."  
Calvin threw a pillow at Hobbes' head. "I didn't mind, but she definitely hated it."  
"It's cause those jeans of yours stink like gasoline and engine grease," Hobbes smirked. "If you actually put on clean clothes, she'd want to be around you more. I don't understand why you're making this so difficult for yourself."

Calvin just sighed and walked across the room. He sat down in a car seat that he'd converted into his creative chair. The seat was taken from a Rolls Royce, and it was the most comfortable chair in the house. The seat was also equipped with armrests and cup holders, and it could be adjusted like a dentist's chair. Calvin sighed as he sank down an inch into the soft leather, and he opened his tablet.

Half an hour later, a rough sketch and a synopsis of a story for art class was done; something about a girl meeting the Devil and going on an adventure. Calvin sent the files to his teacher in an email, but printed out a hard copy just in case.  
"It's interesting," Hobbes remarked from the bed. "You only ever ask me to do your math homework any more."

"I actually like drawing and making stories," Calvin shrugged. "And everything else is just easier now. Math still sucks, though."  
"Amen, brother," Hobbes smirked, idly tossing a football into the air. "So, have you thought any more about this whole prom-blem?"

Calvin gave the tiger a deadpan look in response to the _terrible_ pun. "No I haven't. Our parents are probably going to do all the thinking for us. Susie and I are just the pawns in this little game of Match-Maker they've got going on."  
Hobbes rolled over and put down the football. "Just try thinking about it a different way," he offered.  
Calvin's eyes brightened as an idea began forming.

 _It was another baffling case. But then again, you don't hire a Private Eye for the easy ones. Tracer Bullet leaned back in his chair and watched a cigarette glowing in the ashtray on the desk, next to that good old hip flask. With a grunt, the P.I. leaned forward and grabbed the flask. The whisky went down hot, and Bullet grimaced at the kick. Just then, a sharp knock echoed through the dark office.  
Bullet swallowed back the last of the whisky and curled his hand around the shotgun under his desk. He took a long drag of his cigarette, surrounding his head with smoke, and made his voice extra gravelly for effect. "C'mon in."_

 _The door opened, and in walked a dame. A dark dress clung to her slim shoulders, and her black hair flowed as she walked. She wasn't rich, that much was obvious, but she still had the cash to hire someone like Bullet, so that piqued the detective's interest. A quick glance showed she wasn't packing heat, so Bullet took his hand off the shotgun and leaned back. "Well now, what's a nice girl like you doin' talkin' to a guy like me, in an office like this? Folks might think you're up to no good."_

 _"_ _I ain't so nice, Mister Gum Shoe," the dame snapped. "If I was, I wouldn't be here."  
"Color me interested," Bullet smirked through the smoke, impressed by this dame's pep. "What seems to be the problem, Miss?"  
The dame held her head up. "The name's Susie Derkins, and my problem is, I need someone to knock some sense into my mother's head."  
Bullet scowled. "Listen, lady. I don't know what you heard or who you heard it from, but I ain't a brass-knuckles thug, and I certainly ain't a dame-basher. So if that's your pitch, go take it some place else, to someone with truly low morals and ethics."  
Derkins backtracked. "I didn't mean it like that," she winced. "I meant I need someone to tell it to her like it is."_

 _"_ _Depends what 'it' is," Bullet took another drag on the cigarette.  
At this, the fire Bullet had seen in Derkins' eyes went out. "I'm bein' entered into an arrangement," she sniffed, wringing her hands. "I don't love the man my mother's settin' me up with, cause he's a brute, and he just sees me as a pretty thing to be used and thrown away."  
It didn't take a detective to see how miserable this dame clearly was. _

"Who knows? Maybe she's actually looking forward to it," Hobbes called.  
"Will you shut up, Fur-ball?" Calvin snapped. "You're ruining my flow, here!"

 _Bullet stood up and offered the Derkins dame a handkerchief. "Look, Miss," he began. "I ain't the guy you want if you're lookin' to kill or threaten a dame."  
Derkins' face fell as Bullet shook his head. "I'll let myself out then," she said sadly.  
"But," the detective interrupted. "I'll do you one better. If I go and act all macho to make your mother cancel this wedding, that ain't gonna work. In my experience; dames get told no, they want what they want twice as much."  
"So what are you going to do?" Derkins asked, meeting Bullet's sharp eye.  
The Private Eye smirked. "I'm gonna find a way to make her change her mind on her own. But I'll need a few things, startin' with cash up front. Two C-notes oughta do it for a week of solid work."_

 _Derkins reached into her purse. "That seems fair. What else do you need?"  
Bullet slipped the bills into his pocket and pulled a piece of paper from his desk.  
"I need the name of the guy your mother wants to hitch you with. If he's such a scumbag, I'm gonna find proof, and let the evidence speak for itself."  
"His name's Morris Malone, but most folks call him Moe," Derkins smiled, the fire returning to her eyes. "So, I can count on your help, right?"  
"Lady," Bullet smirked. "You got yourself a gum shoe."_

Calvin stood up from his chair, a wide grin on his face. _Good ol' Tracer Bullet_ , he thought.  
"Uh-oh," Hobbes piped up. "I know that look. That's the Calvin-Watterson-patented look of 'I'm-about-to-do-something-really-dumb.'"  
"Hobbes, ol' buddy," Calvin smirked. "You're not wrong. I'm gonna make Susie's mom realize how bad an idea it is for me to go to the prom with Susie, and then when she changes her mind, I'll be free and clear!"  
"What about Susie?" Hobbes raised an eyebrow.  
"What about her?" Calvin rolled his eyes. "She can get sent to the prom without me. It's not like I care what happens to her."  
As Calvin walked out, Hobbes bounded over to the Rolls Royce reading recliner and picked up a comic book. "You keep telling yourself that," he muttered as the door swung shut.

 _Author's Notes:  
Tracer Bullet! That was one of my favorite characters Calvin imagines himself as. I hope I wrote a sufficiently dark and gritty detective scene, and I hope I didn't mangle the language of the time period too badly._

 _Also, in this story, Hobbes is Calvin's alter ego. He is more than just a figment of Calvin's imagination, but he isn't quite real.  
However, the opposite applies to Calvin. He's a real person, but Hobbes has amplified Calvin's imagination somewhat, giving him an even more powerful and vivid one. More of that will be explained later.  
Next chapter is coming soon, but I may be taking a break over the weekend to go on a sailing trip. Enter bottles of rum and suntan lotion, stage entrance everywhere.  
-the Seacopath_


	3. Chapter 3: Smashes, Shocks and Sky Hooks

**Chapter 3: Smashes, Shocks and Sky Hooks**

 _Author's Notes:  
What is Calvin planning?_

 _Two Months Until Prom…_

The next day, Calvin rolled up to school, heavy bass pounding in his earbuds, and his Harley's engine rumbling through the pavement. As Calvin dismounted, a train horn sounded through the parking lot. Calvin pushed his bike behind a parked van and crouched out of sight as Moe's lifted Ford rolled past, exhaust stacks billowing black smoke, Marilyn Manson blaring from the open windows. Just then, Calvin spotted Jimmy Sauchak, the school geek, passing by. "Jimmy!" he called.

Jimmy jumped a little hearing his name being called, but jogged over to Calvin, the many gadgets hanging from his bag swinging and bouncing. "Hey Calvin. What's up?"  
Calvin spun Jimmy around and began digging through his bag. "No time to explain. I may have pissed off Moe, and I think he's gonna try to wreck my bike. What's in this bag that can watch my bike and tell me if he tries-?"  
"Calvin!" Jimmy shouted, turning around quickly. Calvin froze with a tiny drone and a hard drive in his hands. Jimmy took his tech back and began to talk. "First, you did explain. Secondly, I may have something that could help." Jimmy reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny cube of plastic. "This is a Wi-Fi-enabled camera. Just stash it where it can see your bike, and I'll set this up too." Jimmy held up a small box with a miniature satellite dish on it.

"What's that do?" Calvin asked suspiciously. "Is it gonna fry my bike?"  
Jimmy shrugged. "It's a sensor, like a car alarm. If anyone gets too close to your bike, it sends me a signal. I'll text you if that happens."  
"Thanks, Jimmy," Calvin grinned. "I didn't expect you to be able to help, honestly."  
"Don't even sweat it," the inventor shrugged again. "I like making sure Moe can't terrorize anyone else."

"Hey, you shouldn't have to go through it by yourself either," Calvin said, hiding the camera cube in a nearby bush. "Anything I can do?"  
Jimmy gave a rather nasty grin. "If Moe tries to vandalize your bike, make sure that footage gets to the administration. I would sell my best drone to see that asshole get suspended or expelled."

"Must be a hell of a drone then," Calvin laughed as the pair walked to the main building. Everyone had told at least one tale about Jimmy Sauchak and his crazy inventions.  
"You have no idea," Jimmy grinned. "It could lift your bike with you on it like it was nothing." Calvin stopped in his tracks, the implications of a drone that powerful rampaging through his mind. A second later, he jogged to catch up with the genius. "That's seriously cool," he whistled. "How do you build all this stuff anyway?"  
"Hmm?" Jimmy looked at Calvin. "I didn't actually build that one. My cousin Josh gave it to me for Christmas. He told me I couldn't use it anywhere near San Francisco though. Weird, huh?"

A minute later, the bell rang, and Jimmy wandered off to his classroom. Calvin dropped his bag in his locker and picked up his sketchbook. He pushed through the door of Miss Wilson's class, to see everyone already in their seats.  
"Mister Watterson," Miss Wilson began sternly. "I assume you have a good reason why you're late?"  
"Technical difficulties," Calvin replied with a straight face. Miss Wilson sighed and pointed to Calvin's seat. Calvin sat down, opened his sketchbook, and braced himself for the incoming tsunami of boredom.

An hour later, the bell rang. Calvin looked up from his sketch of Spaceman Spiff stranded on Planet Virax-1-10, and crammed all his pens and pencils into his pocket. As Calvin pushed through the classroom door, Moe shoved him through it and onto the hallway floor. "Nice try yesterday, Twinkie," he growled nastily.  
"Get off me, Moe, I can't breathe!" Calvin shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.  
"The hell are you talkin' about, Twinkie?" Moe grunted, not wanting to make a scene. "I'm not even touchin' you, ya wimp."  
Calvin got to his feet and faced Moe down. "My mistake," he smirked. "Must be just the weight of that god-awful B.O. stink hanging around you." With that, Calvin ran off before the insult could fully sink its way into Moe's thick skull.

After a brutal gym class, the lunch bell mercifully rang. Calvin sat at his regular seat and began to doodle while he absently picked at his food and checked his phone.  
"Expecting a text?" A voice broke into Calvin's thoughts. Susie sat down across from him and opened her backpack. Her laptop and a banana slid out, and she opened them at the same time.  
"Nah," Calvin leaned back in his seat. "You expecting an apology for yesterday?"  
The comment caught Susie off guard for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "No," she smiled. "I admit, I was a little scared when I thought Moe was going to run us over, and I was _terrified_ when you passed that truck on the wrong side of the road and pulled that wheelie."

Calvin snickered as Susie cleared her throat. "But the rest of the ride was actually pretty nice. It's a lot more fun than the bus."  
Calvin perked up, soaking up the compliments like a sponge. "You want a ride home today?" he asked curiously. Susie smiled shyly. "I wouldn't say no. I also don't want to see my mom for a while. All she's been doing recently is talking about that stupid prom. Speaking of which, I thought you said you had a plan about it."

"I had some help thinking of a plan," Calvin nodded. "I figure the easiest way to fix our problem is to get myself suspended until after the prom. That way we won't have to go with each other."  
"That doesn't help me," Susie raised an eyebrow. Calvin threw up his hands. "I don't know!" he exclaimed. "I thought _you_ were the smarter one!"  
"I'm smarter at staying _out_ of trouble," Susie crossed her arms. "You're better at getting _into_ trouble."  
"Fair point."  
Just then, Calvin's phone rang with a text. He picked up the iPhone and unlocked the screen. As Susie watched, Calvin's face went white, then green, then red, in the space of ten seconds. He snatched up his books and shoved everything in his bag storming out of the cafeteria. Susie sat there for a second, before jumping up and running after Calvin.

In the parking lot, Calvin knelt on the concrete next to his bike, utterly motionless as Moe and his cronies shouted. Susie ran up behind Calvin and stopped short with a gasp. The back end of Calvin's beautiful motorcycle was crushed under the front axle of Moe's truck. From what Susie could see, Moe's Ford had suffered a minor dent and some paint loss on the undercarriage. However, the chopper was a different story. The bike's rear tire was popped, the back fender was cracked, and the rear wheel, sprocket and suspension were all mangled beyond recognition. Meanwhile, Moe stood in front of Calvin, shouting at him.  
"Maybe you should watch where you park your shitty bike, Twinkie! Look what it did to my baby! That's gonna cost money to fix, you idiot!" Moe shoved Calvin, sending him sprawling onto the pavement.

Calvin felt a white-hot fire burst to life inside him as Moe shoved him backwards. He stood up slowly and looked at the remains of his once-proud motorcycle. He almost laughed as he looked at the pitiful 'damage' to Moe's Ford. As he walked towards the mangle of parts, Moe shoved him again. "Take a good long look at my poor truck, Twinkie! You're gonna pay for that! Cash money, you hear me Twinkie?"  
Calvin slowly bent down and pulled the drive chain from his bike's crushed back wheel. Noises and voices faded to a blurred mumble as Calvin looked at the part in his hands. The fire flared, and Calvin twisted the chain around his fist with a length dangling to the ground. Moe sensed the change in Calvin's face too late.

With a wild yell, Calvin sung the arm holding the bike chain down onto the hood of Moe's truck. The chain tore through the hood like paper in a long jagged rent. Moe gave a strangled scream as Calvin attacked his baby, swinging the chain again and again, shattering the headlights, cracking the windshield, and tearing into the panels over and over. Moe stood there helplessly, too afraid of getting within range of the flying length of steel, until a particularly wild swing sent the chain flying from Calvin's hands and out of sight.

Moe's thugs Andy and Steve hauled Calvin away from the truck while Moe bunched his fist, just as Principal Spittle stormed up, shouting at the top of his voice. "Someone explain to me what in the hell is going on here!"  
Moe dropped his fist and whirled toward the principal, a wounded look plastered on his face.  
"Not you, Mister Malone!" Spittle shouted, looking at the crowd. "Someone _unbiased_ , tell me what happened here, _NOW_!"

Susie was surprised as anyone when she found her legs taking her a step forward. "Mister Spittle?"  
The principal turned toward her. "What happened?" he asked, slightly calmer.  
Susie cleared her throat and began to explain. "I was in the lunch room with Calvin when he got a text. We ran out here and found his bike like that. Moe started yelling at Calvin about damaging his truck and shoved him…and that's when Calvin grabbed the chain and hit Moe's truck." She trailed off as Moe and his cronies stared daggers at her.

"Young man," Spittle looked at Calvin intently as Moe's cronies grudgingly released him. "Is that what happened?"  
"Yes sir," Calvin said despondently, before a nasty look spread over his face. "And I can prove it." With that, Calvin ran to the bush where he'd hidden the tiny camera, and passed it to Principal Spittle. Moe advanced on the Principal, realizing the camera's footage would damn him, but stopped short when Spittle fixed him with a glare that could evaporate steel. "Mister Malone, lower your fists, or I will not only expel you, but have you arrested for destruction of property, and intent to assault."

Moe backed down, gnashing his teeth furiously. Principal Spittle turned to Calvin. "Mister Watterson, I'll view this footage as soon as possible, but for now, I suggest you go home, and find a way to take your motorbike with you. I sincerely hope you can fix it." Spittle turned to Moe. "Mister Malone, your punishment will be determined in part by how fast you get your truck off Mister Watterson's motorcycle."  
"How do I know if my baby will even start, after what the Twinkie did to her?" Moe practically whined, playing for sympathy. However, there was none to be found with Spittle.  
" _Get in your truck_ ," he growled, " _back up off the bike, and report to my office. Now._ "  
For once, Moe didn't argue.

As the Ford truck roared to life and started reversing, the screech of metal had everyone holding their ears. Moe parked the truck in the next space over, and stalked past Calvin. " _You're fuckin' dead, Twinkie_ ," he hissed in Calvin's ear. However, a moment later, a more welcome pair of voices followed.  
"That was insane!" Jimmy gasped. "I wish I filmed that!"  
Susie nodded sadly. "Let's just hope Moe doesn't get to that video first."  
"We were just too late for my bike," Calvin sighed, "and I have no idea how to get it home, or what I'm going to tell my parents."  
"I can help on both counts," Jimmy smiled, pulling a rather large tablet from his metal backpack. "If you want to wait ten minutes."

Exactly ten minutes later on the dot, a buzzing sound grew in the trio's ears. Calvin perked his head up, scanning the sky for the source of the noise. A second later, his jaw dropped. Over the trees soared a truly _massive_ drone. The thing had to have been at least fifteen feet across, with eight propeller modules holding it in the air. Jimmy hit a button on his tablet, and a platform dropped to the ground underneath the drone. Calvin helped Jimmy roll the wrecked chopper onto the platform and secured it with cargo straps. As the pair jumped off, the platform reeled upwards, and the drone flew off in the direction of Calvin's house.

Half an hour later, Calvin and Susie sat together in the garage of Calvin's house. Susie reclined in Calvin's reading chair, while Calvin worked a part loose from the destroyed rear section of his bike.  
"Moe really did a number on it, huh?" Susie asked cautiously.  
Calvin flung the part away, and it hit the recycle bins in an explosion of glass shards. "What the fuck is his problem anyway?" he shouted. "All I did was accidentally step in front of his goddamn truck on Monday!"  
"You did also take a bike chain to it," Susie smirked. Calvin grinned. "Yeah, that felt good."  
"So what are you going to do now?" Susie asked.

Calvin shrugged. "Spittle suspended me for a week, so I'm gonna fix my bike, and try to figure out this whole prom thing. Still, it's better than the punishment Moe got."  
"What happened to him?" Susie leaned forward.  
Calvin grinned. "He got suspended for two weeks, and he was just forced to send me money for half of my bike's repairs. Spittle watched the video of him running my bike over. If I hadn't attacked his truck, Moe would have had to pay for all the damage."  
"In fairness, it was kinda stupid," Susie laughed.  
Calvin picked up a wrench. "Still felt good."

Someone knocked on the garage door a minute later. Calvin peered through the window to see Jimmy Sauchak fiddling with a tablet. Two medium-sized drones hovered behind the teen inventor, loaded down with boxes of what looked like motorcycle parts. Calvin opened the garage door to let Jimmy in.  
"Hi, Calvin," Jimmy nodded. "I thought I'd give you some help. Hi Susie."  
Susie waved from the chair as Jimmy typed in a command on the tablet. A second later, the two drones gently deposited their boxes on the ground, and zipped off.  
"That is so cool," Calvin whistled. "Where can I buy some of those? Or are they one-of-a-kind Sauchak specials?"  
"You can get those drones at Top Purchase Electronics," Jimmy replied. "I don't build every piece of tech I have."

Calvin just shook his head. "Where'd you get those parts? Did you buy them?"  
"Yup," Jimmy passed Calvin a slip of paper. "That's the receipt for the replacement parts. You can pay me back whenever."  
Calvin let his eyes travel down the receipt. "Three hundred and eighty dollars?" he exclaimed.  
"What? Is that bad?" Jimmy snatched the receipt back. "I can go get a better price…" He trailed off as Calvin laughed.  
"Trust me, Sauchak," he chuckled. "That is a hell of a deal. The suspension alone for a bike like this costs about four hundred dollars. You did good."  
Jimmy cracked a rare smile. "Good. Let's get started."

Meanwhile, at the Malone household, Moe slouched in the corner of his dark and filthy room, testing the weight of the object in his hands. Through the walls, he could hear raised voices and impacts. Moe slipped on a pair of knock-off _Beats by Dre_ headphones and tuned out the fighting. A drone zipped past Moe's window, the green light blinking in the darkness. _One of Suck-chak's stupid little toys,_ Moe grunted to himself. _Hope it comes back. I need some target practice before the main event._ Moe lifted the Glock in his hand, and aimed at a dartboard on his spray-painted wall, at the picture of Calvin's face stuck to it with darts.

 _Author's Notes:  
Wow, Moe sure is a psycho, huh?_

 _Jimmy Sauchak is a semi-original character. He is a nod to two of my favourite 'teenage geniuses,' Jimmy Neutron (from Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) and Josh (From Watch Dogs 2). I designed Jimmy to be smart, but his intelligence is mostly limited to within the realms of realism. He doesn't have the smarts to build a space-capable rocket out of a theme-park ride, but he is very adept with technology, particularly remote-control tech like drones. We'll see more of him in the next chapter, as well as more of Hobbes._

 _Prom is in two months, which gives EVERYONE time to prepare. (cue foreshadowing and ominous music)  
Next chapter is coming soon, so watch out for that!  
-the Seacopath_


	4. Chapter 4: Options and Oversights

**Chapter 4: Options and Oversights**

 _Author's Notes:  
I'll put in song cues._

 _Song: Yelawolf – "Best Friend" ft. Eminem_

The stereo against the wall pounded as Calvin pressed the button on an engine crane. The powerful hydraulics hissed as the crane lifted the v-twin engine and gearbox from Calvin's Harley. The frame rested on the garage floor, stripped down to its base components. In the corner, the Harley's wrecked exhaust system rested on a pile of broken parts, including the back wheel. Jimmy Sauchak sat in a swivel chair next to the garage's workbench, tinkering with the Harley's engine computer. The small box was hooked up to a laptop by a spaghetti-tangle of wires, and Jimmy's fingers flew over the keyboard, writing code almost faster than the eye could see.

Calvin rolled the engine crane away from the bike frame and dropped the engine on another workbench. A few twists of a torque wrench, and the gearbox cover popped off. Calvin slid all the gears off their mounting points and passed a cloth through the now empty gearbox. The cloth came away covered in grease, with metal fragments clinging to the layer of sticky gunk. Calvin finished cleaning the fragments of broken bike chain from the gearbox, and re-assembled the parts.  
At the same time, Jimmy turned away from the workbench with an immensely satisfied expression. He held out the computer box for the bike's engine, and the pair began their work for real.

As the sun set, the lights in the garage came on, and several cans of Blue Devil energy drink were added to the pile of broken parts in the corner. Calvin and Jimmy only stopped working when Calvin's dad finally stuck his head into the garage and shouted at them that he'd _heard enough character-building for one darn day, thank you VERY much!_  
Jimmy slipped his laptop into his ever-present techno-backpack and walked outside.

Calvin followed Jimmy as a very loud buzzing grew in the distance. Out of nowhere, a platform dropped to the ground. Jimmy stepped onto the platform and grabbed the central support cable. "See you tomorrow, huh?" he called to a speechless Calvin.  
With that, Jimmy and the platform rose into the air, locking into place underneath the enormous drone from that afternoon. Jimmy soared off, casually standing under the massive octo-copter, until he disappeared out of sight. Calvin shook his head in amazement, and shut the garage door.

Calvin awkwardly waddled through the door of his bedroom. His mom had taken one look at his grease-covered clothes, and literally had him step into a pair of plastic bags. Hobbes looked up from the comic book he was reading, and burst into laughter. "You look like a shiny, smelly penguin!" he howled, holding his stomach.  
"Laugh it up, fuzz ball," Calvin smirked. "Have a free hug!"  
Hobbes' eyes snapped open, and he shot off the bed and clung to the ceiling where Calvin's grease-covered hands couldn't reach. "Get away from me!" he yelled. Calvin laughed heartily as he pulled off his clothes and stepped into a moderately fresh pair of boxers. The greasy jeans and t-shirt plopped on top of the laundry pile.

Hobbes waited until Calvin was in his bathroom, and dropped from the ceiling. The tiger padded across the room and grabbed the bundle of laundry with a long-suffering sigh. A few minutes later, Hobbes hopped on top of the washing machine and curled up as the hot water began sloshing around the inside, finally cleaning the dirt from the bundle of clothes.

 _Song: Gorillaz – "Do Ya Thing" ft. Andre 3000_

The next morning, Hobbes stretched and opened his eyes blearily. The tiger gave a loud yawn and hopped down off the dryer from where he'd relocated when the washing machine had finished working. Calvin's clothes were already gone, most likely back in the same place on the floor in his room. By now, Calvin had long since learned not to wake a sleeping tiger. _Ah, the benefits of maturity_ , Hobbes thought, walking down the stairs to the kitchen. Hobbes pushed through the kitchen door and stopped in his tracks.  
A _towering_ pile of pancakes sat on the table, giving off a delicious smell. Calvin whirled around the kitchen like a demented spinning top, flipping yet more pancakes and sending syrup flying. Openmouthed, Hobbes watched the scene for a moment, and slowly backed out of the kitchen. _No sense being here when Calvin's mom comes back and sees this,_ he thought.

Half an hour later, Calvin shoved his way through the kitchen door, humming to himself. The plate in his hands was stacked with pancakes, and a large bottle of syrup hung off a chain on the belt loop of his jeans. "You comin'?" he asked Hobbes through a mouthful of food on the way to the garage.  
Hobbes hesitated, but the smell of fresh pancakes won out in the end, and he bounded off after his friend.

In the garage, Calvin wolfed down bites of food, in between working on some bike part or another. Hobbes sat by the enormous tool cabinet, passing Calvin a different device every few minutes. His pile of pancakes was significantly bigger than Calvin's, but tigers had bigger appetites; everyone knew that.  
"Socket wrench," Calvin mumbled through a mouthful. Hobbes dug around in the tool cabinet and passed out a silver rod. After a moment, Hobbes spoke up. "You know this suspension isn't going to help you escape the prom."  
"I know," Calvin nodded. "I'll just have to keep getting suspended."  
"You realize there is another solution, right?"  
Calvin looked around as Hobbes continued. "You could just go to the prom with Susie. It's one night, and you two don't even have to stick with each other."

"But neither of us want to go," Calvin grunted as he managed to loosen a bent bolt from the frame of his bike.  
"She does," Hobbes said pointedly. Calvin's wrench slipped and he smashed his hand on the engine frame with a loud _clang_.  
"Ow! How the heck do you even know that?" Calvin groaned, holding his throbbing knuckles.  
"I heard it from Mr. Bun," Hobbes popped another bite of pancake into his mouth. "Susie apparently talks to him like you and me talk to each other."  
"That's so weird," Calvin mused. "I thought that was just our thing."  
Hobbes shrugged. "Not really. There's lots of animals like me out there. Anyway, Susie told Mr. Bun that she wants to go with you, but she knows you wouldn't even consider it."

Calvin sprawled back across the floor. "Ugh, why are girls so confusing?"  
"Beats me," Hobbes shrugged. "But do you want some advice?"  
Calvin nodded from the floor. Hobbes straightened up smugly. "Fix your bike by Friday, and take her out on a real date next week. Let her see that you're not just the jerk on a Harley who draws all day and sets off stink bombs in the teachers' lounge."  
"What's in it for me?" Calvin asked suspiciously. Hobbes cracked a wide grin. "You'll never hear it from me, and you'll never know unless you put in the effort."  
Calvin grumbled and picked up the wrench again. "Pass me that sprocket, fur ball."

 _Song: Daft Punk - Technologic_

At three-o-clock, a buzzing grew in Calvin's ears, and a minute later, Jimmy descended to the driveway on his giant drone's platform. "Hey, Calvin," the genius nodded. "I got you the school work from today."  
The giant drone roared away as Jimmy stepped into the garage beside Calvin. He spotted Hobbes sitting on the workbench. "Is this yours?" he asked curiously, picking up the stuffed tiger.  
Calvin nodded. "That's Hobbes. I've had him for as long as I can remember."  
Jimmy thought for a moment, and placed Hobbes back down as he walked towards the orange chopper. "Let's see the progress."

Three days of solid work later, the chopper was fully fixed. Every surface shone, and the bike looked like it had just rolled out of a showroom. Jimmy passed Calvin the keys off the hook, and Calvin straddled the bike. The key turned, and the chopper rumbled to life.

A wide grin spread across Calvin's face as the engine's vibrations rattled loose parts on the workbench and sent birds in the trees flying away in a panic.

 _Spaceman Spiff cheered as the lights on the ship's dash glowed green, and the little red spacecraft hovered into the air. Spiff hit the throttle and spun the ship around in loop after loop, before blasting through the poisonous clouds above Planet Zorg. The Zorgon mothership hovered in space, waiting for the earthling. Spiff smirked and primed his weapons. If the Zorgons wanted a fight, Spiff would bring the fight of their…_

"Earth to Calvin!" Jimmy shouted over the roar of the bike's engine. Calvin snapped back to reality and shook his head. "Thanks for the help, Jimmy," he grinned, shutting off the engine. "Moe is gonna be so pissed when he gets back to school and sees this."  
"Just don't go starting any more fights with him," Jimmy cautioned. "I ran a check on Moe and found out his dad is a gun owner. Add that to the fact that Moe's violent, and we have a potential problem."  
Calvin shrugged. "Moe's a jerk, but he's also a coward. He wouldn't punch me in a hallway with people around, so he wouldn't have the balls to shoot anyone."  
Jimmy shook his head. "I just hope you're right."  
Calvin beamed. "Course I'm right. Now let's go put on some TV and grab some snacks. First one to the couch gets the first pick of ice cream!"

 _Author's notes:  
I wanted Jimmy to have an awesome way of getting around, much like Calvin with his bike. For someone who makes drones, what better transport could there be than a drone that can carry its pilot? I think it's pretty damn cool.  
Next chapter's coming soon.  
-the Seacopath_


	5. Chapter 5: Popularity and Privacy

**Chapter 5: Popularity and Privacy**

On Monday morning, the school parking lot started rumbling. Students turned their heads to the sound of a loud engine. A second later, Calvin rolled into the parking lot, engine roaring, hair shining in the early morning sunlight. The chopper gleamed black and orange in the sun as Calvin parked up and dismounted. Everyone who had been on the scene last Tuesday gave Calvin impressed looks as he strolled across the field to the bench under the old oak tree. Calvin sprawled out across the bench and opened his sketchbook.

 _Song: B.o.B. – "Plain Jane"_

A moment later, Calvin looked up as someone tapped his shoulder. Standing in front of him was Sylvie Taylor. Calvin knew her from math class with Mr. Stewart. Sylvie smiled, and Calvin nodded a quick hello. "Hi Sylvie. What's up?"  
The girl fidgeted for a moment, but found her words. " Nothing much. So, what are you drawing?"  
"Nothin' much," Calvin shrugged, holding up the page from his sketchbook. In the drawing, a tiger lounged on a branch of the tree Calvin sat under.  
"Wow, that's so cool!" Sylvie gasped.  
"It's not much, but thanks," Calvin shrugged. "What's really up though?"  
Sylvie blushed. "Um, well, the prom is in a few weeks, and I was wondering if you wanted to go."

Calvin had been expecting this. Jimmy had mentioned that since Calvin stood up to Moe, his popularity had skyrocketed. _That said_ , Calvin thought, _no sense being an asshole._  
"I don't know," he finally said. "It hasn't really been on my mind. Can I think about it?" It wasn't an outright rejection, but it wasn't a 'yes' either. However, Sylvie nodded. "Don't take too long."  
Calvin watched as she walked off to her group of friends, and the buzz of giggling began.  
"Take it as a compliment," Hobbes' voice issued from Calvin's bag.  
"Button it, Fur Ball, or I'll put you in my bike's saddlebag," Calvin smirked.  
Hobbes started grumbling quietly about stuck-up blond teenagers with attitude problems. A minute later, Calvin stood up and grabbed his bag.

 _The Calvinosaurus stalks the unsuspecting triceratops across the dusty Cretaceous plain. For such a huge animal, the Calvinosaurus is able to move completely silently. As it steps closer and closer to the ignorant triceratops, the mighty jaws of the Calvinosaurus open wide, as it prepares to bite down for the…_

"Nice try Calvin," Susie said smugly, not even looking behind her. Calvin stood there dumbfounded, until Susie spoke up again. "Next time you try to sneak up on someone, genius, do it when your shadow isn't sticking out a mile in front of you."  
Calvin smacked his head. "Dammit. Oh well." He fell into step beside Susie as they walked into the class. As they strolled through the school, Susie spoke up. "So, have you made any progress on the plan? You did have all week to think up something."  
"Yeah, about that…" Calvin began. Susie turned on her heel and faced him down. "You didn't think of anything?" she gasped.

"No, wait, I did!" Calvin held up his hands in case Susie started whacking him with her book bag. "I was thinking, what if we just went together and got it over with?"  
Susie's mouth dropped open. "Are you for real? That's your genius plan?"  
"Just think about it for a second!" Calvin began to explain. "Neither of us want to go, but our parents won't let it go. If we went with each other, that would make them happy. Not to mention, it would save us being asked out by a bunch of people."  
At this, Susie grimaced. "I know what you mean. I got asked out by Moe's friend Andy today."  
Calvin smirked. "I'm impressed. What I meant was, it would save ME the trouble of being asked out by my adoring legions of female fans." This earned Calvin a book bag to the stomach.

Susie sighed. "As annoying as this is, I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with you."  
Calvin nodded. "It makes sense, huh? Also, it's just one night, and we don't even have to go as a couple. We can just go as friends."  
Susie nodded slowly. "I can see that making sense. This plan will work for now. Although, you still have to keep thinking up plans to get us out of the prom."  
"Can do," Calvin nodded. "Also, you're coming for a ride with me after school."  
"What?" Susie missed a step and almost fell over. "Whatever happened to 'just friends?'"  
"It's not a date," Calvin backtracked quickly, ignoring the strong nudge from inside his backpack. "I heard my mom talking to your mom about taking you for a dress fitting tonight, and I think it might me a good idea to make yourself scarce."

Susie shuddered. If there was anything she hated more than high-heels, it was dresses. Just then, the bell rang and the students began trudging to class. Calvin waved Susie off as she went to her trigonometry class. Calvin turned away and headed to Art class, when he was nearly sent pitching forward from the force of the kick in his backpack. Calvin plopped the bag down on the bench and opened it, only to be confronted by the face of a very squashed and _very_ angry tiger. Hobbes bared all his teeth. "What the heck was that, Casanova?"  
"Easy!" Calvin cautioned the big cat. "I'm working on it. I can't just say it's a date, she'd never go for it."  
Hobbes _humphed_. "If you keep procrastinating, Susie's going to find someone to date, and it sure as heck won't be you."  
"I'm _working on it_ ," Calvin repeated, zipping his bag shut.

 _Song: Jet – "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?"_

Calvin pushed through the door of the Art classroom, only to stop in shock. The whiteboard was taken up by a scaled-up version of his drawing of the Devil. As Calvin entered the room, Miss McLaughlin the art teacher walked up to him. "Calvin, where did you get the idea for this?" she asked.  
Calvin put on a nonchalant look. "I just wanted to do something different than the whole 'red-skin-and-goat-legs' look."  
On the whiteboard, Calvin's drawing of the Devil was a muscular, tanned man with black horns. His skin was covered in tattooed stripes, which, upon inspection, were lines of symbols. The lines spiraled up the Devil's arms and chest, reaching under his chin and up his face, to where the text disappeared into the inky black horns.

Miss McLaughlin patted Calvin's shoulder. "I was really impressed by this drawing," she smiled. "But I can't hang this anywhere in the school's public areas because, well, it's the Devil. I'm still giving you top marks for it though."  
Calvin nodded. "Thanks." He sat down at his desk, and began working on a sketch as Miss McLaughlin stood at the front of the class and began to teach. Soon, the sketch was done, and Calvin quickly finished the day's official assignment.  
The rest of the day passed in a blur.

When the final school bell rang, Susie walked outside and nervously sat at the bench under the oak tree. A while later, Susie saw Calvin stroll out of the school building, following the herd of students toward the parking lot. Susie made to get up and follow Calvin, but he motioned for her to stay seated. Susie's phone rang with a text from her friend Cheryl. _Have fun on your date with Calvin!_ A kiss and eggplant Emoji accompanied the text. Susie considered explaining to her friend that it was not going to be a date, but a way to escape controlling parents. However, she was interrupted by the sound of a loud engine.  
Calvin rolled up on his bike and held out the familiar black helmet. Susie got up off the bench, and tightened the straps of her book bag. Calvin shuffled slightly forward in the bike's saddle and patted the seat behind him. Susie swung her leg over the black and orange chopper and grabbed the loops on Calvin's jacket. Calvin twisted the throttle, and the pair set off.

The chopper cruised through the street, engine purring smoothly. Calvin carefully navigated his way through the traffic. The bike's engine growled appreciatively as Calvin leaned into the right lane and kept pace with a minivan packed with kids. The mother watched nervously as the chopper roared alongside her van. Meanwhile, her kids gazed out the window, looks of awe on their faces. Calvin smirked and gunned the engine, leaving the minivan in the dust. Susie yanked on one of Calvin's jacket loops. "Where are we going?" she shouted over the bike engine. Calvin didn't look around. "We're going to a place I know of, outside of town. No one else knows where it is."

Calvin changed gear down and roared through a changing traffic light, leaning hard to the left. A huge Dodge Ram honked its horn at the bike as Calvin cut it off. Susie relaxed her grip as Calvin cruised through the suburbs, past their houses. Soon, the chopper slowed down at the opening of a dirt road. Calvin carefully drove down the path, through a long line of trees. Soon, the opening between the trees wasn't even visible any more.

 _Song: Ian Ethan – "Slow Burn" ft. Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra_

Calvin cut the chopper's engine and put down the kickstand. He smoothly dismounted the bike and helped Susie to her feet. Susie followed Calvin to a wall of hedges that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Calvin pulled one bush aside and motioned for Susie to walk through.  
Susie pushed through the hedge wall, straightened up, and looked around in amazement. Behind the hedge wall was a large forest clearing, ringed by more trees and bushes. A huge oak tree grew in the middle of the clearing, its leaves filtering the harsh sunlight to a soft green. A small stream ran through the clearing, to a round pool of water. But what took Susie's breath away were the tree houses.

The oak tree supported the weight of an enormous cluster of wooden buildings, strung together by rope ladders, bridges and zip lines. Around the sides of the clearing, smaller trees were home to smaller structures, forming an immense web of rope, wood and cables. Calvin smiled at Susie as she slowly twirled on the spot. "What do you think?"  
Susie finally found her voice. "How did you find this place?"  
"I didn't," Calvin replied, sitting down on a tree trunk that was carved into the shape of a chair. "I made it."  
"How?" Susie gasped.  
Calvin rested his chin in his hand. "Remember that time a few years ago when I went missing for almost a month?"

Susie nodded as Calvin continued talking. "I had a bad toboggan crash. I went off a cliff behind my house and rolled down the hill until I ended up in this place. I must have knocked myself out because when I woke up, I was covered in snow. Hobbes was with me though."  
Susie tilted her head. "Hobbes helped you? How? He's a stuffed animal."  
"Not really," Calvin replied. "He's more than that. He used to be a figment of my imagination, but when we got lost in the woods…"  
"What happened?" Susie pressed.  
Calvin cleared his throat. "I realized what I could do."

Susie whirled around at the sound of footsteps, and found herself face-to-face with a very large, very real tiger. She froze as the powerful animal padded closer, almost silently. "H-Hobbes?" she asked timidly. The tiger's ears perked up, and Susie saw it _wink_ one piercing green eye.  
Calvin put his hand on Susie's shoulder. "I imagine things, and I can make them real."  
"No," Susie gasped. "That's impossible!"

"And yet, here you are," Calvin smirked, "Standing in the middle of the world's most awesome tree fort, with a tiger less than ten feet away."  
Susie's jaw fell open as the tiger _spoke_. "Do you have tuna?"  
"Oh, real smooth," Calvin smirked at the tiger. "It's upstairs."  
With that, Hobbes bunched his hind legs, and leaped upwards, grabbing onto the edge of the tree house platform. A second later, he hauled himself up, and his stripy tail disappeared over the edge.  
Susie meanwhile, sat heavily on the ground, not trusting her legs to keep supporting her. "This is impossible," she whispered to herself.  
Calvin reached down and helped Susie up. "Come on. If you need to sit down, there's chairs upstairs."

Susie stepped off the ladder inside the oak tree and looked around in amazement. The room she and Calvin stood in looked like a cross between an artist's studio, and the palace of some forest king. The center of the room was a huge, sunken circular space. ringed by steps. In one corner, Hobbes lounged on a large bed, munching on a piece of raw fish. A desk stood against one wall, covered in paper and artist's supplies. Drawings, paintings and sketches covered every available surface of that wall. A computer sat in another corner, looking like it had come straight from the pages of a sci-fi novel. A king-size bed hung from four thick ropes on the ceiling, and a mechanics workbench took up the largest alcove. Motorcycle parts and gizmos of all sizes cluttered the workspace, but every tool was in a spot of its own.

Calvin crossed the room to a small kitchenette and grabbed two Blue Devil energy drinks from the mini-fridge. "What do you think?" he asked again, as Susie stood there, eyes wide.  
"I'm…I'm just going to let you explain this," Susie stammered. "Or I think my head is going to blow up."  
Calvin sat in a comfy-looking armchair and tossed a drink in Susie's direction. "Look," he began, "I'm only telling you this because I trust you not to tell anyone else."  
Susie nodded. "Who would I tell anyway?" she shrugged.  
"Good point." Calvin took a long drink and began his story.

"So, I had the toboggan crash. I fell down the hill, and I finally ended up in this exact clearing. I must have hit my head on the trunk of this tree, because it was the first thing I saw when I woke up."  
"Were you okay?" Susie asked. Calvin shrugged. "I was okay at first, until I realized that I was lost in the woods, and I had no idea how to get back home. I waited in the clearing for someone to come find me, but no one came for two days. Then, I imagined that I had someone that could help me."  
"Hobbes." Susie stated, awestruck.  
Calvin nodded. "If he wasn't there, I don't think I'd have made it. He showed me how to really use my imagination, and we built this place together."

"If you could imagine all this," Susie scratched her head, "Why didn't you just stay forever?"  
"Hobbes convinced me to find my way back, for my parents' sake." Calvin smiled ruefully. "A park ranger eventually found me. I made up some story about sleeping in a cave and eating bugs and berries for a month. The adults bought it, and I came back home. But I've been coming back here ever since. It's a good escape."  
Susie looked around again, at the secret place Calvin had trusted her with. "I think it's amazing," she smiled. "I can't say I completely accept it yet, but I think it could grow on me."  
"Good," Calvin gave Susie the first genuine smile she'd seen since the day before Moe trashed Calvin's bike. "You ready to study?"

 _Author's Notes:_

 _So, I believe a little more explanation about Hobbes is due.  
Hobbes is Calvin's alter ego, and Calvin made him real through his imagination when he was lost in the woods. However, Hobbes only appears to a select few people.  
Calvin sees him as a real tiger, and the anthropomorphic tiger that we see in the comics.  
Susie sees Hobbes as a real tiger.  
Calvin's parents have had their suspicions about Hobbes since Calvin came back from his time in the woods, but they just see him as the stuffed tiger, along with most of the other adults in Calvin's life.  
Hobbes is able to interact with the world around him. He leaves footprints in snow, and the things he does actually happen in the real world. If Hobbes was to lift a cookie off a plate and eat it, an adult would either see the cookie float into the air, and disappear in a few bites, or they would see the cookie simply disappear into thin air._

 _Calvin can make his imagination into reality. In this way, he can create almost anything. However, there is a cost involved. Calvin cannot create something from nothing, or completely destroy anything. He has to work with matter that already exists. For instance, he made his tree house grow from the wood of the trees in the forest. He can change one type of matter into something else. For instance, he could change a piece of bark into a cookie. Calvin never uses this ability around anyone else, because there is a possibility that other people could be affected by his hyperactive imagination._

 _Calvin and Hobbes' abilities will come more into play later in the story. Until then, happy reading.  
-the Seacopath_


	6. Chapter 6: Study Sessions

**Chapter 6: Study Sessions**

" _You_ want to study?" Susie asked incredulously. "Who are you, and what have you done with Calvin Watterson?"  
"You _don't_ want to study?" Calvin smirked back. "Who are you, and what have you done with Susie Derkins?"  
"What do you propose we even study?" Susie raised her eyebrow. "I mean, wouldn't you rather draw or watch a movie on that massive TV over there?"  
Calvin shook his head. "I think we should get ready for the prom."  
Susie was rendered speechless for the second time that day. "Are you serious?"  
"Well, yeah." Calvin stood up and rolled his neck. "Wouldn't you rather make sure we don't make fools of ourselves when we have to dance at the prom?"

 _Song: The Charlatans – "And If I Fall"_

"Do you even know how to dance?" Susie asked skeptically.  
"Not slow dance," Calvin replied honestly, "But Hobbes does. He's agreed to teach us."  
Susie looked over at the tiger that stood at the edge of the sunken circle in the floor. As she watched, Hobbes stood on his hind legs and produced a long ruler from behind his back. Hobbes pushed the play button on the huge sound system, and the tree house echoed with the sound of slow music.  
"Right," the tiger said, walking into the center of the circle. "First, you need to know how to step." With that, Hobbes began stepping in a pattern with an invisible partner. Calvin and Susie watched intently as Hobbes' legs moved, and he spun slowly. A second later, Hobbes grabbed Susie and stood her beside him. Calvin stood on his best friend's other side. With that, Hobbes began directing Calvin and Susie's steps in time to the music.

"Calvin, stop looking at your feet. Susie, you're stepping too wide on the second beat. Calvin put your left arm down and right arm up. Susie, do the opposite."  
Hobbes stepped between the two teenagers as they repeated the motions over and over with their invisible partners. Two songs later, Hobbes pronounced them ready to dance together without stepping on toes or breaking ankles.

"Calvin," Hobbes instructed, "Put your left arm around Susie's waist. Susie, put your right hand on Calvin's back. And both of you hold your other hand at shoulder height." When he was satisfied with Calvin and Susie's form and posture, Hobbes crossed the circle to the stereo and played a song.

 _Song: Aqualung – "Strange and Beautiful"  
_ Calvin and Susie started swaying in time to the slow beat of the waltz Hobbes had chosen. As the soft, sorrowful lyrics filled the room, Calvin found himself looking down at Susie as she stood closer to him than she ever had before. The green and gold light filtering through the canopy of leaves over the tree house's roof made Susie's brown eyes almost glow, as she slowly spun with him. Struck by inspiration, Calvin raised his leading hand and nudged Susie into a spin. She spun away from Calvin, until a tug of his hand sent her twirling back into the waltz stance.

Susie looked at Calvin. A small smile played across his face at the slightly annoyed expression she gave him from being spun. _Two can play at that game_ , she thought, as she stepped closer, and pressed herself against Calvin's chest. He tensed, and Susie saw his eyes close. A second later, Susie's eyes shot open as she felt something poking her. She pulled away from Calvin with a shout. Hobbes jumped, and the music stopped, all but making the noise of a record screeching to a halt.

"What was that?" Hobbes groaned. "You two were doing so well!"  
"Talk to Calvin," Susie snapped, stomping back to her chair. Hobbes turned his gaze towards his best friend. "What did you do?" he asked shrewdly.  
"It was her fault!" Calvin exclaimed. "She stood way too close!"  
A look of comprehension dawned on Hobbes' face, before he scowled. "That's natural, you know that, right?" he said loudly, rolling his eyes. "Do I have to give you both the Talk, too?"  
"NO!" Calvin and Susie shouted at the same time. Hobbes rolled his bright green eyes again. "Then," he snarked, "I suggest you two just get over it, and you come back here, Susie. At least finish the song."

Susie grudgingly got up from her chair and positioned herself in front of Calvin, who by now wore a smirk the width of his head.  
"Don't get…" Susie stopped herself before she could say _cocky_ … "Smart."  
"Who, me?" Calvin tilted his head. "Never."  
Hobbes rolled his eyes yet again, and played the music.  
Calvin and Susie began dancing again, keeping a reasonable distance from each other until the song finished. When the music stopped, Calvin made to turn away from Susie, but Hobbes' paw on his arm stopped him. "The true gentle-tiger kisses his lady's paw and thanks her for the dance." The tiger gave Calvin a serious look.

"I'm good for now," Susie mercifully broke in. Calvin sighed, and crashed back in his chair. Susie sat beside him, while Hobbes padded back to his tiger bed. Susie and Calvin sipped their drinks in a comfortable silence, listening to the sound of birds outside.  
After a few minutes, Susie put down her drink and faced Calvin. "Imagine something for me," she said. Calvin looked up. "Hmm?"  
"Imagine something for me," Susie repeated. "I want proof. I need to know for sure that this isn't some kind of weird trick."  
"I'm not proof enough?" Hobbes called over, insulted. "What am I, chopped tuna? Mmm, tuna…" the tiger rolled over and fell asleep again, visions of fresh fish dancing through his head.

Calvin leaned forward in his chair and closed his eyes. "All right, you want proof, I'll give you proof." A second later, the tree house started gently rocking back and forth like the deck of a ship. The wood grain on the floorboards started moving as Susie watched speechlessly. As the rocking continued, a tendril of wood rose from the floorboard in front of Susie's chair. The long, twisting snake of wood flexed, bent over into a knot, and then sprang into shape. A bulb of bright red grew into life at the top, while the rest of the wood turned a rich dark green. By the time everything had stopped moving, a rose stood up from the floor, growing tall and proud. Tentatively, Susie reached out to the impossible flower and touched it.

The rose was real. Its petals were like silk to the touch, the thorns pricked Susie's soft fingers, and the scent of the flower hung around it, perfuming the air. Faced with the reality that Calvin had just made a flower grow from a plank of wood in a matter of seconds, Susie did what any smart, sensible woman in her position would do; she fainted. The last thing Susie saw before her eyes slid shut was Calvin collapsing in his chair.

Minutes passed. Or was it hours? Or days? Susie lifted her head and forced her eyes open. Across from her, Calvin struggled to his feet and grabbed another Blue Devil. "That really takes it out of him," a voice said from beside Susie. She looked over to see Hobbes handing her a glass of water. Turning wood into this tree house was easy, but making a flower out of that same wood is a lot harder."  
"He explains this way better than I can," Calvin nodded, chugging his drink.  
Hobbes continued. "It's easier for him to make something out of material that's already similar. We just made this tree house grow out of the wood around it. That flower is a different kind of plant, and it takes a lot more energy to change something into something else."

Susie nodded, looked at her watch and jumped. The display read 9:05 pm. "We have to go home!" Susie exclaimed. "We have school tomorrow!" She ran to the ladder and started climbing down. Calvin followed, after glancing at Hobbes.  
"I'll be fine here," the tiger called. "I can run back home."  
Calvin dropped down the ladder after Susie and followed her to the edge of the clearing. The pair pushed their way through the hedge and climbed on Calvin's chopper. Calvin started the engine and smoothly set off.  
The trip back through the forest was oddly peaceful. The Harley's purr echoed through the woods. Birds flapped through the trees, and leaves crunched under the bike's wide wheels. Susie found herself drifting off and leaning forward against the tiger patch on Calvin's jacket.

The v-twin changed pitch and the bike accelerated. Calvin had driven out of the forest and they were back on the streets. Susie looked around sleepily as houses flashed past. Soon, Calvin leaned to the left and the chopper bounced over a curb before coming to a smooth stop in the driveway front of the Derkins' house.  
Calvin shut the bike off and shook Susie fully awake, just as a light turned on above the porch.  
" _CALVIN WATTERSON!_ " someone shouted. Calvin whipped around as Mrs. Derkins stormed down the front steps. "Just where have you been with my daughter? We were supposed to go for a dress fitting today! How could you be such an irresponsible and bad influence on Susie?"  
As Susie's mother shouted, Calvin rapidly imagined a diversion that could let him get away.

Just as Mrs. Derkins finished her sentence, the sky above their heads lit up with a bright orange firework, and a noise like a cannon blast. At the same time, Calvin leapt on his bike, started the engine, and tore down the Derkins' driveway, narrowly missing the mailbox on the way out. The orange chopper roared down the street and out of sight, leaving Susie standing in front of her dumbstruck mother, and the smell of burned rubber, exhaust and gunpowder in the air. Mrs. Derkins closed her mouth after a second, and dragged Susie back inside.

"Let go, mom!" Susie shouted, as her mother pulled her down the hall to the living room. Shutting the door behind her, Mrs. Derkins pulled Susie's jacket off and started frantically examining Susie's face, hair and clothes. "Sweetheart, did he hurt you?"  
Susie's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about?" she asked in shock.  
Mrs. Derkins scowled. "There's only two reasons for a boy to be out with a girl this late; he's either taking her for a date, or he's taking advantage of her." She looked Susie in the eye. "Did Calvin hurt you?" she asked again.  
"No!" Susie exclaimed, pushing away from her mother. "We just watched a movie and lost track of time!"

Mrs. Derkins crossed her arms and tapped her foot as Susie picked up her jacket off the floor.  
"And remember," Susie scowled, "I'm a black belt, so if Calvin tried anything, _which he didn't_ , he'd be on the floor in seconds, with both his hands wrenched behind his back and jammed up his-"  
"Fine!" Mrs. Derkins snapped. "And don't swear, young lady."  
"Fine," Susie shot back. "And you should apologize to Calvin. I had a good time, and he didn't deserve to get yelled at."  
With that, Susie stomped upstairs to her room.  
"She's right, you know," piped up Mr. Derkins from his reading chair. "She's eighteen; just let her have some fun for once."  
"Humph." Mrs. Derkins walked out and slammed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Calvin screeched to a stop in front of the hedge wall in the forest. He pushed his bike through and pressed a button on the side of the oak tree's trunk. A door opened under one of the buildings, and a lift descended to the ground. Calvin pushed his bike onto the platform, stood on it, and pressed the button again. The lift rose, bringing Calvin and the chopper up to his tree house. As the lift jolted to a stop, Calvin stomped off and crashed back in his chair. Hobbes raised his head from his tuna-fuelled power nap. "What happened?"  
Calvin sighed at the tiger. "Susie's mom read me the riot act. I imagined a firework and used the distraction to get myself the heck out of there."

Hobbes' eyes widened. "You used your imagination around an adult?"  
"The firework I made was a hundred feet in the air," Calvin shrugged. "It was too far away for anything else to happen."  
"This time," Hobbes hopped down from his bed and began pacing. Meanwhile, Calvin got up from his chair and pulled a lever on the wall. The bed descended from the ceiling, and Calvin stripped down to his undies. Hobbes continued pacing as Calvin rolled under the covers, and willed himself to sleep.

 _Author's Notes:  
I know I said Calvin doesn't use his power around anyone, but I have to make a quick amendment to that statement. He doesn't use it around __adults_ _. Older minds are less imaginative, and there is more chance of bad things happening when they are exposed to Calvin's imagination.  
This only applies to things in close proximity, like the rose transformation. The firework was made far enough away that Susie's mother couldn't see the explosive forming, so nothing would have been affected._

 _I decided to make Susie's mother fairly conservative, as in, no sex before marriage, boys and girls must be supervised together, put God first, etc.  
I'm basing Mrs. Derkins off someone I know in real life who has those beliefs, and it's just my way of venting about how annoying and outdated those beliefs are.  
Susie's father is the opposite side of the coin. He takes a very liberal stance towards life. I wanted to write two characters that will balance out the opposite qualities in the other._

 _Next chapter is coming in a few days, so until then, happy reading.  
-the Seacopath_


	7. Chapter 7: Road Trips and Rowdiness

**Chapter 7: Road Trips and Rowdiness**

Friday morning rolled around, and the atmosphere in school was tense, as students prepared for the long weekend. Friends made plans, parties were organized, and everyone anxiously watched the clock.  
Calvin read the invitation that Michael Sullivan, the richest kid in school, had handed him and everyone else in the class on Monday. " _Michael Sullivan invites you to join him for a Fourth of July celebration at the Sullivan beach house._ "  
Susie sat beside Calvin and Jimmy, holding her own invitation. "Are you two going to Sullivan's party?"  
Jimmy shrugged. "I don't know. I've never been that into parties."  
Susie smirked. "Cheryl Beckett's going to be there."  
Jimmy blushed bright red. "I might see what my calendar says," he stammered.

"How about you, Calvin?" Susie nudged the blond teen.  
"Definitely," he grinned. "It'll be better than hanging around at home. My parents' idea of a wild Fourth of July is to mix a scoop of real coffee in with the decaf."  
Susie laughed. "Can I get a ride there?"  
"Sure," Calvin smiled. "If you don't mind holding the box I'm bringing."  
"Box?" Susie raised her eyebrow.  
Calvin put a finger to his lips. "It's a secret for now."

As Calvin spoke, Mr. Maxwell the Social Studies teacher rang the little bell on his desk, getting everyone's attention. "Look, I know it's almost the weekend, but let's just behave for one more hour, all right? I don't want to have to keep anyone after class, cause I want to enjoy my weekend too." The class quickly got the message and shut up. A torturous hour later, the bell finally rang, and the students all madly rushed out the door. Susie followed Calvin and Jimmy out to the parking lot. Jimmy fiddled with his tablet, and within a few seconds, his giant drone had lifted off the school's roof. Jimmy stepped onto the drone's platform, and the giant aircraft carried him off. "I'll call you guys!" he shouted down as the drone roared away.

Calvin straddled his bike and passed Susie the helmet. Susie climbed on behind Calvin as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. A short ride later, and the pair dismounted in front of the Watterson house.  
Calvin left his bike's engine running and disappeared into his house. He emerged a minute later with a satchel bag in his hands. Calvin clipped the bag to the side of his bike, next to the rear axle. "Go grab your stuff," he nodded to Susie. "I'll put it in the other bag."  
Susie ran into her house and found her dad on his chair. "Hey, Dad," she began. "Calvin is giving me a ride to Mike Sullivan's beach house. Is that okay?"  
"Hey, I trust him," Mr. Derkins nodded. "Just don't get too crazy, okay pumpkin?"  
"Sure thing, Dad." Susie hugged her father and ran upstairs to grab her backpack.

Susie opened the door of her room and stopped short, seeing her mother sitting on her bed. "Mom? What are you doing in here?"  
Mrs. Derkins held Susie's bag tightly in one hand. "I'd like an explanation of why you are going to a party," she said tersely.  
"I was invited," Susie replied. "And I'm going. Everyone I know is going, and it's going to be fine. There's adult supervision."  
"There will also be boys," Mrs. Derkins frowned. "Boys and girls shouldn't be alone with one another."  
Susie rolled her eyes. "This from the woman who's trying to play match-maker with my prom date."  
"Don't get snippy with me, young lady," Susie's mother wagged her finger. "I don't feel comfortable with you going to a party where there will be boys."

Susie surprised herself with the words that came out of her own mouth. "Too bad, because I am. I can take care of myself, Mom. I'm not a stupid little kid any more!"  
Mrs. Derkins stared at Susie as she continued. "I trust Calvin to take care of me, and I trust myself to take care of myself. So give me my bag."  
"No," Susie's mom held the bag closer to herself. "I'm not comfortable with this, so you won't be going."  
Susie lost her patience. "Look, mother. You were the one who said I should experience life instead of sitting up here in my room studying. Well guess what? This is me; experiencing life!" With that, Susie snatched her bag and ran downstairs. A second later, Susie's mother shot to her feet and took off after her daughter.

Susie burst out of her house and hopped the fence next door to where Calvin was waiting. "What took you so long?" he asked.  
Susie hopped on the chopper breathlessly. "Never mind that, go, go, go!"  
Calvin began to ask another question, but at that moment, a shout cut through the air like a gunshot.  
" _SUSIE ISABELLA DERKINS, GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!_ "  
Calvin needed no telling twice. He put the bike in gear and dumped the clutch. The orange chopper shot off the mark. Calvin turned sharply out of the driveway and roared down the street, Susie hanging on for dear life behind him.  
A few tense minutes later, Calvin turned off the main road and drove up a ramp into a parking garage. He shut off the bike and faced Susie. "What…the heck…was that all about?"

Susie looked away. "Mom didn't want me to go to the beach house. She didn't even trust me to go to a party with boys, let alone one with alcohol and no parents."  
"What?" Calvin smirked. "Would it offend her delicate Christian sensibilities?"  
"It's not funny!" Susie exclaimed. "I'm going to be in so much trouble. Can you just take me back home?"  
Calvin grinned. "Look, the way I see it, you'll already be in trouble when you get home anyway, so why not just take advantage of it while you can?"  
Susie wrung her hands, until Calvin opened a box in his backpack. Susie's eyes widened. The box was full of fireworks and bags of candy.  
"I also can't eat all this candy and blow up all these fireworks by myself," Calvin smirked. "Come on, it'll be fun."  
After a minute, Susie nodded. "I reserve the right to change my mind though," she said sternly.  
Calvin started his chopper again. "Yes ma'am," he winked under his shades.

The drive to the beach house was unbelievably stressful. Mrs. Derkins had taken her car and was looking for Susie. Calvin was forced to stay off the main roads and cut a twisting, convoluted route through suburbs and small towns as they made their way south along the coast. After about two hours, Jimmy Sauchak called Susie and told her that one of his drones had spotted the Derkins' car returning to their house. Calvin returned to the main roads and opened the throttle. Susie relaxed as they rode along and watched the endless miles flash past. The late afternoon sun turned the ocean silver, and birds became black dots against the orange sky.

Calvin stared straight ahead, keeping an eye out on the road. Every so often, he checked in his rear-view, to see Susie looking curiously at everything around her. He smiled under the bandanna he wore over his face as the chopper ate up the asphalt.  
Three hours of riding later, Calvin turned off the highway onto a long, twisting driveway. The GPS on Calvin's phone chirped brightly that he'd reached his destination. Susie and Calvin dismounted the chopper with shaky legs, as Michael Sullivan walked up. "Calvin Watterson and Susie Derkins!" he exclaimed. "So glad you two could make it! I'll show you to your room."

Michael led the pair up the stairs from the driveway to the front door of an _enormous_ house. White, angular walls stood three stories high, interspersed with sections of floor-to-ceiling windows. Through the windows, people could be seen walking around, having drinks, and socializing.  
"Now," Michael explained. "Tonight is the meet-and-greet night, for everyone to get familiar with one another. The next two nights are for partying, and the night after that will be for cleanup. I see you've brought your own alcohol, but everyone is sharing this weekend. Put it in the alcohol pile by the bar when you come back down. I'm making my welcome speech in about ten minutes."  
With that, Michael pushed open a door, and ushered Calvin and Susie inside.

As they entered the room, Calvin and Susie's jaws dropped. This was clearly the master suite. A huge king-size bed stood proudly against one wall, a TV hung opposite the bed, and the floor was covered in absurdly luxurious carpet. Through a door, an en-suite bathroom gleamed white and grey. A Jacuzzi occupied one corner, and it even had a waterfall in place of a tap. A mini-bar on the bedside table held all manner of fancy drinks.  
"Are all the rooms like this?" Calvin finally asked their host.  
Michael laughed. "No. However, I saw fit to give you and Susie the master suite because you're the school's newest power couple."  
"Power couple?" Susie asked. "We're-"  
Calvin lightly elbowed Susie in the ribs. " _Just roll with it,_ " he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.  
"Let's go downstairs, shall we?" Michael grinned.

In the kitchen, Michael climbed up on a chair and tapped a knife against a glass. As the ringing of the glass and the chatter of the guests died down, Michael spread his arms wide.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my Fourth of July party!" Michael beamed, to the sound of cheers. "Now, before we all get too ahead of ourselves, I have some housekeeping announcements to make! Firstly, all the boats on the jetty are off-limits until tomorrow morning. Secondly, tonight, we have to keep ourselves on a low profile. Our elderly neighbors are leaving tomorrow morning. After that, we can make as much noise as we want, but until then, let's be respectful. Treat this evening like practice for the prom."  
Calvin and Susie nodded as their host spoke. Even for someone of his wealth, Michael treated everyone like family. He made an effort not to look down on anyone, and made sure to know as many people as he could. Everyone agreed that if you ever needed a friend, you could count on Mike Sullivan.

Michael was wrapping up his speech. "Finally, there will be two nights of partying after tonight, but the third night will be for cleanup. My parents and I agreed on this condition, for our use of the house this weekend. Anyone who participates in the festivities _must_ help out, including myself. If you can't handle a little elbow grease, speak now and leave now, or forever hold your peace." The guests murmured their agreement.  
Michael raised his champagne flute. "Then I declare this Fourth of July weekend has officially begun!"

The guests milled amongst themselves; talking, laughing, drinking, and enjoying the evening. Michael had taken a seat at the grand piano, and was playing tunes for the partygoers. Calvin and Susie had found Jimmy Sauchak, and Susie's friend Cheryl Beckett. The two had seemed to hit it off right away. Cheryl was chatting animatedly to Jimmy about his drones and inventions, while Jimmy answered her questions with a slightly goofy smile on his face.  
"I think those two are getting along pretty well," Susie smiled at Calvin, who was in the process of draining a beer.  
Calvin nodded. "Want to go outside?"  
Susie stepped up and followed Calvin to the patio door.

 _Song: Stephen – "Outro" (Seriously, I recommend listening to it as you read.)  
_ Below the balcony, Michael could be seen playing the piano by the pool, and singing.

 _"_ _We found our way back to the city we came from,  
Cause I looked back and I thought 'man, what have I gave up?'  
I watched myself burn and there's nothing I'm ashamed of,  
Cause I found my new self in the fire I'm afraid of."_

Michael played a few more notes as Susie and Calvin watched from above.

 _"_ _We found our way back."_

Michael's fingers flew over the keys, and the people gathered outside cheered him on as the music swelled.

 _And now we're saaaaaved,  
I found the rhythm, to the waterfall,  
And when I'm braaaaave,  
I'm not a victim, drowning after all!"_

Calvin raised his beer as Michael finished the song. Susie leaned forward on the balcony and rested her head on her hands. "Thanks for taking me here," she smiled, turning her head to look at Calvin. "I'm having a good time, and I just needed to get away."  
"Hey, no problem," Calvin smirked, taking another sip of beer. "I was gonna take you anyway. I needed at least one good friend here to make it more fun."  
Susie blushed and turned her blushing face back to the people milling around the piano and the pool.

 _Author's Notes:  
I thought it was time for some romance. That's coming up, so stay tuned. I appreciate reviews and feedback._

 _Also, I encourage all of you to read and review my main story, "The Last Firefly."  
Thanks,  
-the Seacopath_


	8. Chapter 8: Won't You Lay Me Down?

**Chapter 8: Won't You Lay Me Down?**

 _July 2_ _nd_ _, six weeks till prom_

 _Song: Kaleo – "All the Pretty Girls"_

Calvin pushed open the door of the master bedroom and stepped in, followed by Susie. The mingling had gone on until just past midnight. Mike Sullivan had invited well over a hundred people to the beach house, and all of them had clearly been determined to talk to as many people as possible, including Calvin, Susie, Cheryl and Jimmy.  
Susie flopped down on the bed and spread her arms wide. "That was exhausting. How do those socialites in New York do this every night?"  
"Sheer force of will," Calvin replied, hanging his jacket up on the coat rack. He crossed the room and threw the covers off the bed before jumping in.

Susie jumped up from the bed. "Hey! No way!" she exclaimed. "We are not sleeping together!"  
Calvin sat up and clicked his tongue, deep in thought. "What's the problem?" he asked after a minute.  
Susie immediately launched into a rant. "For starters, you're the most annoying and immature person I've ever met. Secondly, people only sleep together when they're _sleeping together_."  
"You sound just like your mother," Calvin rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt off.  
"Fine, but put your shirt back on," Susie grumbled after a moment. "If we're sleeping in the same bed, you're sure as heck not getting naked."

"Two questions," Calvin smirked. "First off, what changed your mind _that fast_? Cause that was the quickest one-eighty I've ever seen. And can I at least change my pants to something other than jeans?"  
Susie blushed and lay down on top of the bed. "That comment about my mom changed my mind," she finally sighed. "She's so strict, and I know I used to be just like her when we were in elementary." She looked up at the ceiling and laughed dryly. "I was always the nerdy loner. I wasn't cool enough for any of the girls, and all the boys were scared of me, even back then."

"Well, I hung around with you," Calvin said honestly.  
Susie genuinely laughed at that. "You threw snowballs at me, and nearly made me barf every single lunchtime by describing whatever gross thing you could think of!"  
"I know," Calvin grinned, "but at least I didn't avoid you. I didn't want to say it at the time, but I thought you were actually pretty cool."

Susie rolled over and stared at Calvin. " _You_ thought _I_ was cool?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hey," Calvin held up a finger. "I was in the same boat. Remember, until Jimmy came along, I didn't really have any friends except you and Hobbes. And I wouldn't have hung out with you if you weren't cool in your own weird 'Susie-ish' way."  
"Gee, thanks Calvin," Susie rolled back over and clicked off the lamp.  
A second later, Calvin's voice pushed through the darkness. "I meant that as a compliment. Thanks for being my friend."  
"You're welcome, Calvin," Susie replied softly, deep in thought. "Go to sleep."  
A few minutes later, when Calvin had started lightly snoring, Susie reached her hand across the covers and laced Calvin's fingers with her own.

Meanwhile, just down the hall, Cheryl Beckett pulled Jimmy Sauchak upstairs. Jimmy followed Cheryl with an extremely confused look on his face. "Where are we going?"  
"To my room, silly," Cheryl smiled, showing Jimmy the bottle of wine she'd grabbed from the alcohol pile downstairs. "So we can talk privately."  
Jimmy frowned. "Is wine a good idea? What if we spill it on Mike's white carpets while we're talking?"  
Cheryl stopped in the middle of the hallway and gave Jimmy a serious look. "Do you not want to hook up?" she asked. Jimmy's eyebrow rose questioningly. "What do you mean 'hook up?'"  
"Oh my god," Cheryl said, voice cracking. "I feel like such an idiot."  
"Why do you feel like an idiot?" Jimmy tilted his head.

Cheryl made a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob. "Because I was stringing myself along all night, because I like you, and I thought you liked me!"  
Jimmy stopped in shock. "You like me?"  
Cheryl looked at the floor as she began rambling. "I've liked you since I met you at school with Calvin and Susie a while ago, because you were such a nice guy, and you were always really polite and respectful to me, and I thought that meant you liked me too, but I barely said three words to you until tonight, and you just said you don't want to hook up, so that must mean you don't like me so I'll just leave you alone now-" Cheryl broke off and looked up, eyes glistening.

 _Song: One Republic – "Stop and Stare"_  
Jimmy held up his hands and cleared his throat. "Why do you think I don't like you?"  
Cheryl collected herself and sniffed lightly. "Well, because by now, most normal guys would have had their hands all over me."  
Jimmy gave Cheryl a look that plainly said ' _really?_ ' "I guess that means I'm not normal?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Cheryl said quietly.  
Jimmy stepped closer. "Then what did you mean?"  
Cheryl backed against the wall. "I meant that you were nice. I thought that meant you didn't like me like that."  
"I'm sorry," Jimmy sighed, backing off. "I've never been good with things like this. Can you tell me what you mean?"  
Cheryl smiled and held up the wine. "Can I show you while we drink this?"  
Jimmy slowly nodded. Cheryl took Jimmy's hand and finished leading him down the hall.

Jimmy shut the door of the room behind him. Cheryl crossed the room to the bedside table and popped the cork on the wine. She poured out two glasses and passed one to Jimmy. The inventor took a swig, and promptly spat it back into the glass. "That's disgusting!" he choked.  
"Well you're not meant to chug it like you're pouring back Blue Devil!" Cheryl laughed. "You have to drink it slowly, like this." Cheryl lifted her glass and took a small sip. Jimmy nodded, and imitated Cheryl. "It's actually not bad now," he said thoughtfully.

Cheryl sighed as Jimmy slowly drank. "Thanks for not being normal," she smiled.  
"You're welcome," Jimmy nodded. "Now what?"  
Cheryl stepped closer to Jimmy and took his wine glass from him. She put the glass on the bedside table and pulled Jimmy into a hug. Jimmy froze for a second, before he lifted his arms and wrapped them around Cheryl. Through the open balcony door, Mike Sullivan could be heard back on the piano. His voice carried through the night, as Cheryl and Jimmy held each other close.

" _Stop and stare!  
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere!  
Yeah, I know that everyone gets scared  
But I've become what I can't be!_"

Cheryl pulled back and Jimmy froze again. "What did I do?" he asked worriedly. Cheryl shook her head with a smile and stood on her tiptoes. She reached one arm around Jimmy's shoulders and put her other hand on the side of his face. Cheryl leaned into Jimmy and their lips met. Jimmy started slightly, but soon relaxed and returned the kiss.  
As they kissed, Cheryl pulled Jimmy closer and ran her hands up his back, but he pulled away. Cheryl paused. "Are you okay?"  
Jimmy blushed furiously. "I'm fine. It's just…can you give me a minute?"  
"Okay," Cheryl nodded. With that, she excused herself from Jimmy's room, disappointed and excited at the same time.

 _Song: Gnash – "Fragile" ft. Wrenn  
_ Cheryl closed Jimmy's door behind her and turned around to find herself face to face with Susie, sitting out in the hallway.  
"What are you doing?" Susie asked curiously.  
Cheryl raised her eyebrow. "I could ask you the same question. Why are you not _in there_ with _him_?" she pointed to the door of the master suite.  
"I don't know," Susie sighed. "I thought we were going to do something, but he just went to sleep. Does that mean he doesn't want me?"  
"Honey," Cheryl laughed. "Calvin is a guy, with a pulse. Of course he _wants_ you. And he _likes_ you too. I've seen the way he looks at you. The question is, do _you_ like _him_?"  
Susie looked up at the ceiling in frustration. "I do like him, but I don't know, Cheryl. How can you tell someone you've had feelings for them since grade school?"

"Well, it's been pretty obvious that I like Jimmy, right?" Cheryl smirked. "I kissed him tonight, too, and he kissed me back."  
Susie felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Cheryl had carried a crush for the inventor since she'd met him, and Susie had been sure one of them would make the first move sooner or later.  
"The point is," Cheryl continued. "I wouldn't have found out if I didn't take the risk and tell him. So take the risk. And if he doesn't like you, that's okay."  
"But what if he _really_ doesn't?" Susie groaned. "What if I make an idiot of myself?"

Cheryl bent down and looked Susie in the eye. "What if you just stopped overthinking everything and took the risk already?" she smirked. "Now, are you going to tell him, or do I have to make you?"  
Susie collected herself and shook her head. "You're right," she nodded. "I'll tell Calvin tomorrow. He's asleep already."  
Cheryl grinned. "That's my girl. Now go in there, go to sleep, and if he doesn't know by tomorrow morning, I'll tell him myself."  
"You wouldn't!" Susie gasped. Cheryl winked. "Better hurry."

Susie slipped back through the master suite's door and Cheryl heard the lock click. She smiled, and turned back to Jimmy's room. Cheryl opened the door and slipped inside to find Jimmy in the middle of taking his shirt off.  
"It's been a minute," Cheryl said softly.  
Jimmy dropped his shirt. "Actually, it's been four minutes and forty-three seconds." He hesitated. "But I'm guessing that's not important?"  
"No," Cheryl shook her head. "This is."  
With that, Cheryl reached up and pressed her lips to Jimmy's again. The genius held Cheryl close and broke the kiss. "I don't know anything about this," he whispered. "Can you show me?"  
Cheryl nodded, took Jimmy's hand, and led him across the room to the bed. She turned to face Jimmy, as he softly kissed her again. Cheryl broke the kiss, and whispered in Jimmy's ear. " _Won't you lay me down_?"

 _Author's Notes:  
And here's the romance. I don't know if I'll write any explicit sex scenes yet, but hey, that's what reviews are for! Send me a review if you're enjoying the story so far. It takes five minutes, and it really does help me write better._

 _I also have an announcement to make. Not many people have been reading my main story, "The Last Firefly" lately, so I'm going to take a hiatus.  
I'm going to finish "Prom Catastrophe" before I see about coming back to Raziel's world.  
If you want to see the story continue, please leave me a review or a message, or I'll just delete "The Last Firefly" and work on something else. There's no point writing a story that no one wants to read. :(_

 _Thanks for reading anyway,  
-the Seacopath_


	9. Chapter 9: Parties and Passion

**Chapter 9: Parties and Passion**

 _July 4_ _th_ _, six weeks till prom_

 _Song: "Zion" (from The Matrix Reloaded)_  
The party was in full swing at the Sullivans'. The cocktails and casual conversation from the previous night had been replaced with hard liquor and pulsing bass. The atmosphere was electric, with party guests dancing, grinding and kissing their way around Mike Sullivan's enormous house. In the living room, Calvin and the others relaxed in a circular couch. Calvin chugged a rum-and-coke. Susie sipped a grasshopper cocktail, Cheryl downed yet another whisky, and Jimmy poured back a citrus beer.

"Whoo!" someone shouted. A second later, a girl jumped into Jimmy's lap. The genius froze up as the obviously drunk girl tried to kiss him. Cheryl jumped up and pulled the other teenager off Jimmy. "What's your problem?" she demanded angrily.  
"He-he's my boyfriend," the girl slurred. "n'I wan' a kiss fr'm my boyfriend!"  
Cheryl put her hands on the other girl's shoulders, and without warning, leaned in. As Cheryl's lips met the girl's, her eyes widened, then closed. The two girls wrapped their arms around each other, as Calvin, Susie and Jimmy watched openmouthed.

Cheryl pulled away and looked the girl in the eye. "There," she said softly. "Now you've had a kiss. Go find your real boyfriend."  
The other girl nodded and tried to seductively walk away, but a combination of her drunkenness and shaking legs sent her pitching forward into another chair.  
"Wow," Calvin smirked. "Is it wrong to say I'd pay money to see that again?"  
Cheryl crossed her arms and smiled slyly. "Who knows, Calvin? Maybe I will do that again, but you won't be around to see it."  
"Now you're just torturing me," Calvin joked.

 _Song: Deadmau5 – "Ghosts and Stuff" ft. Rob Swire  
_ The music changed and Cheryl grabbed Jimmy's hand. "Come on! I love this song!" Jimmy was pulled to the dance floor behind Cheryl.  
Calvin looked over at Susie and finished the rest of his rum and coke. "You up for a dance?"  
Susie looked up in surprise. "Now?"  
"Yeah." Calvin grinned and took Susie's hand too.  
The dance floor shook with the pounding of footsteps as the partygoers jumped to the beat of the song. This wasn't the slow waltz Calvin and Susie had danced a week ago; this was an off-the-chain, alcohol-fuelled mosh.

Calvin threw his head back and sang the song's chorus, along with the crowd. " _But IIIIIIIII just wanna play it right! We are gonna get there tonight!"  
_ As the chorus played, Calvin seemed to shift into slow motion right before Susie's eyes. Just then, the beat dropped, and Calvin exploded into motion, his footwork almost too fast to see. A small group of people cheered Calvin on as he grooved with the best of them. Following Calvin's lead, Susie spun around and pumped her arms in the air. Calvin stepped to the side and let Susie take center stage. At Calvin's prompting, Susie tried the slow motion moves Calvin just had, and the assembled people roared their approval. Calvin jumped back in and started break dancing as the beat dropped again. As the song drew to a close, Calvin spun to a stop in an almost impossible pose, and the crowd cheered.

 _Song: Deadmau5 – "Professional Griefers" ft. Gerard Way_  
" _DANCE FIGHT!_ " The shout echoed across the room, even over the loud music. Calvin and Susie pushed their way to the front of the crowd as the people formed a circle. At one end of the circle, the DJ spun a record and let the beat drop. Two dancers entered the circle and hopped on the balls of their feet, until the lyrics started. As Gerard Way's voice blasted from the speakers, the two dancers exploded into motion, jumping, spinning and doing their damndest to leave the other beaten. Within a minute, one challenger had been booed from the ring. Calvin jumped up and slid into the ring, pulling both fingers at the other dancer as he slid along on his knees past him.

Calvin jumped up and landed on his feet, before striking a Michael Jackson-style pose. The crowd roared their approval as Calvin laid down a dance routine right in the other person's face. The challenger crossed his arms and leaped up, executing a perfect backflip. Calvin's jaw dropped, before he bowed himself out of the ring.  
Susie, Cheryl and Jimmy took Calvin to the side. "Why did you bow out?" Cheryl asked. "You were doing so good!"  
Calvin led the others to the bar. "I know I was, but I'm not that much of a glory hog. That, and if the backflip was the other guy's _first_ move, I was in for an ass-whooping."  
"That makes sense," Jimmy slurred. "Making sure you got the other one, uh, win the which?"  
"Uh-oh," Cheryl smirked. "Too many beers?"  
"Too many beers," Jimmy nodded

 _Song: Deadmau5 – "Alone With You"  
_ Cheryl led Jimmy upstairs, followed by Calvin and Susie. The consensus was to go to Calvin and Susie's room to hang out. Jimmy crashed in an armchair, looking ready to fall asleep where he sat. However, he perked up considerably when Cheryl hopped up and sat on his lap. Calvin crashed on the king-size bed, while Susie pulled up the other chair. Faint bass could still be heard from downstairs.  
"Say what you want about Mike Sullivan," Calvin grinned sleepily, "he sure knows how to throw a party."  
"I know exaaactly what you mean," Cheryl hiccupped. "This is the best party I've been to since…Susie, what was that one with the Mercedes in the pool?

Susie gave a loud snore in response. Cheryl laughed and turned to Calvin. "Oh, dude, I feel so sorry for you having a girlfriend that snores!"

Calvin shot awake. "What do you mean girlfriend?"  
Cheryl giggled drunkenly. "You know! Susie told you she likes you and now you two are going out and stuff!"  
"She never said that!" Calvin exclaimed.  
Cheryl's eyes widened. "Ohhhh no, I said that out loud didn't I?"  
Jimmy jerked awake as Cheryl pulled him to his feet. "Come on, we gotta go," Cheryl said worriedly, as Calvin retreated into his mind.

 _Song: Marian Hill – "Breathe Into Me"_  
Calvin sat on the bed, his thoughts whirling. He looked over to the chair where Susie slept, her face for once untroubled by the stress of exams or worry about her future. In the light from a tall lamp in the corner, Susie's brown hair shone, and the gentle curves of her face stood out.  
Calvin sighed, losing focus and letting his imagination run wild. Against the wall, a painting began to move like a TV screen. The pigments rearranged themselves into a myriad of patterns. On one side of the painting was a wall of red, black and yellow, while the other side was taken up by blue, green and white. As Calvin reached out with his imagination, the colors swirled and melted together. By the time Calvin opened his eyes again, the painting bore a pair of clasped hands; one made of fire, lava and rocks, the other composed of trees, clouds and water.

"That's amazing," a voice intruded on Calvin's consciousness. His eyes shot open to find Susie standing next to the moving painting. "It's like the yin-yang; like the concept of harmony. Is that what you're thinking about right now?"  
"Not exactly," Calvin replied. "I'm thinking about something else."  
Susie raised her eyebrow. "What are you thinking about?" As soon as Susie finished the question, the painting moved again. Water spilled from the green hand, and doused the flames of the red hand. A cloud of steam billowed across the canvas, leaving it a blank white space.  
Calvin turned to Susie with a pained look on his face. "Cheryl told me."

Susie's eyes widened. "She told you that I-?"  
"Yes she did," Calvin cut Susie off. "And what I want to know is, how long?"  
Susie looked down at her feet. "Since sixth grade."  
Calvin sat down in the chair that Cheryl had left. "Why me? Aren't I _the most annoying and immature person you've ever met_?"  
"No, that's not true," Susie shook her head. "I guess that was kind of mean, huh?"  
"I'll live." Calvin walked to the side table and poured out two shots of rum. "I guess we both owe each other one of these though."

Susie accepted the glass with a confused glance. "Why do you owe me one too?"

"Because we both lied," Calvin sighed as Susie drank her shot. "You lied to me, and I lied right back to you." Calvin poured the shot down his throat. "I've liked you ever since I threw that first snowball at you when we were kids, and I've been too chicken to tell you until now."  
Susie dropped her now-empty glass, and it bounced away on the carpet. "You…"  
"Yeah." Calvin put his glass down on the table, and pulled Susie into his arms.

 _Here is a sex scene! (FanficChickette, you're welcome)_

 _Song: Stacey – "Calling Me" (from Lucifer)  
_ Susie felt Calvin's warm arms wrap around her and felt his heartbeat through his chest. Susie rested her head on Calvin's shoulder and leaned into his neck. Calvin put his hand under Susie's chin and turned her head up, until their eyes locked. Susie stared deep into Calvin's eyes, seeing her own brown pair reflected in his grey irises. The air around her and Calvin seemed to be charged with electricity, as Calvin's imagination rampaged around his head. Susie put her hand on Calvin's cheek, and he snapped back into focus. Calvin blinked once, leaned in, and pressed his lips to Susie's, closing his eyes.

Susie closed her eyes as Calvin kissed her. It wasn't forceful or urgent, but neither was it slow or dull. It was simply a kiss. Calvin kept his lips closed and gently pressed against Susie's for several seconds. When he pulled away, Susie shivered, goose bumps popping up on her arms.  
"How was that?" Calvin asked, almost shyly. In response, Susie pulled him in for another kiss. This time, Susie led. She wrapped her arms around the back of Calvin's neck and kept him pulled in close. As they kissed, Susie felt Calvin's hands reaching up the back of her shirt. She pulled away.  
"Are you not okay with this?" Calvin asked, looking worried.

Susie thought for a moment, about everyone who'd called her a loner or a prude or a loser. She thought of her and Calvin hiding their secrets all this time, and she recalled something her dad had once said.  
" _Susie, if you go through life thinking, 'I don't think I can,' soon you'll be thinking, 'I wish I had.' No time like the present, pumpkin._ "  
Susie nodded. "I'm okay, Calvin." With that, Susie pulled Calvin in again.  
Calvin carefully lifted Susie's shirt over her head. He smiled when she returned the favor. Susie ran her hand down Calvin's bare chest, which was muscled from hours of working on his bike and climbing trees.

Calvin smiled and reached behind Susie's back. His nimble fingers made short work of Susie's bra strap, and the garment fell to the ground to join their shirts. Susie brought her hands up to cover her breasts, blushing as she did so. Calvin smirked and pulled Susie closer so their chests pressed together. Susie dropped her hands and wrapped them around Calvin's back as he kissed the top of her head.  
" _Tell me when_ ," Calvin whispered in Susie's ear, kissing her again. Susie shivered again and curled her fingers, leaving faint marks on Calvin's back. She stood on her tiptoes and put her lips next to Calvin's ear. " _Now_."

Calvin took Susie's hand and led her to the bed. Calvin lay down and opened his arms. Susie held one arm across her chest as she climbed into the bed and snuggled up against Calvin. A second later, Calvin reached down and undid Susie's jeans, pulling them over her hips. The jeans bunched up around Susie's knees and Calvin grunted in frustration. Susie sat up and slid her jeans the rest of the way down. Calvin had already shucked his shorts and lay there naked, while Susie still had her panties on. Calvin leaned over and laid a line of kisses up Susie's shoulder, past her neck, and finishing on her lips. Susie brought her hand up and cupped Calvin's face as he kissed her again, forcefully this time.

Susie jumped as she felt a hand on her breast. Calvin chuckled as Susie blushed again. "How many times can you blush like that in one night?" he whispered devilishly.  
Susie kissed Calvin again just to shut him up. As she did so, her leg brushed against something hard, which of course caused her to blush bright red again. Calvin smirked. " _Tell me when_ ," he whispered again. His hand crept down, and Calvin rubbed between Susie's legs, her thin cotton panties still in the way. Susie gasped at the sensation as Calvin began a slow rhythm, rubbing in a circular motion, sometimes softly, sometimes rigorously. Susie grabbed Calvin's head and pulled him in for a deep, rough kiss. " _Now_ ," she whispered hoarsely.

Calvin grabbed the top seam of Susie's panties and pulled down. Susie wiggled her hips and slid her underwear off, tossing them away with her foot. Calvin rubbed Susie's exposed mound one more time, before slowly sinking one finger inside her. Susie moaned as Calvin rubbed her clit and curled his finger inside her. Calvin rolled over on his back and pulled Susie up so she sat on top of him. "Ready?"  
Susie nodded and positioned herself above Calvin's hips. She bit her lip and sank down, gasping at the sensation, and wincing with some pain. Calvin put his hands on Susie's legs and carefully pushed down as he entered her.

Susie sighed deeply at the sensation of being filled as Calvin ran his hands up and down her body. A minute later, Susie raised her hips and started to ride Calvin slowly. Underneath her, Calvin reached up and massaged her breasts, causing her to shiver and blush again. Susie's breathing soon grew ragged, and she pulled away. Calvin groaned in frustration, but Susie silenced his protests with another deep kiss. Calvin pulled away from the kiss and guided Susie with him to the headboard of the bed. Calvin sat up against the headboard and invited Susie in.  
Susie sank down onto Calvin's member again, this time knowing what was coming.  
Calvin pushed up inside Susie, drawing a rattling moan from her. The two lovers found a rhythm and began to move faster, their breathing and their motions in sync.

Calvin grunted, the tendons standing out in his neck. Susie gasped and threw her head back, her mouth open in a silent 'O'. Calvin suddenly tensed up and thrust into Susie as hard as he could. Susie's body jerked, and she almost threw herself forward, biting into Calvin's shoulder to keep from screaming, as her muscles locked up, and slackened with a wonderful feeling of release. Calvin and Susie lay there for what seemed like an age as their bodies relaxed, and they started to come down from the high of orgasm.  
"That was…wow," Calvin finally found his voice.  
Susie smiled and pushed her hair back from her face. "Let's just leave it at 'wow,', okay?"  
"Of course." Calvin embraced Susie and gently kissed her, as they began to fall into a deep sleep.

 _Author's Notes:  
So, there's a sex scene. For some reason, this was a little difficult to write. If it was good, let me know. If it was a cringe-y, weird, awkward, military-grade fustercluck, also please let me know.  
This chapter was a little bit of fluff, but we all need that sometimes.  
I'll be posting a list of the characters sometime soon.  
Other than that, the next chapter is coming soon.  
-the Seacopath_


	10. Chapter 10: Return to (Real Life?)

**Chapter 10: Return to (Real Life?)**

 _Six weeks till prom_

 _Song: Radiohead – "Talk Show Host"_  
The day of cleanup at the Sullivan Beach House had moved as slow as a molasses monster on the North Pole. Calvin and Susie had helped the other guests clean up the wreckage of two nights of partying. With a hundred people helping, the job had only taken a few hours. The biggest challenge had been retrieving the giant Moët bottles from the bottom of the diving pool. The enormous, meter-tall bottles had sunk to the pool floor as they filled with water, and each of the bottles had needed three divers to even lift them up the three meters to the surface.

By the time five-o-clock had rolled around, the house sparkled, and party guests had begun to make their way back up the coast. Mike Sullivan had offered another night's stay at the beach house for those who either needed a ride home from their parents, or whose journey was too long for them that night.  
Calvin, Susie, Jimmy and Cheryl were among those who had stayed. They and about ten other people gathered around the dinner table. Mike Sullivan raised a glass of wine to his guests. "Here's to a great weekend," he grinned.  
Calvin and Susie joined in the toast, and the rest of the evening passed in the comfortable blur caused by rich food, fine alcohol, and good conversation.

After dinner, Calvin and Susie returned to the master bedroom. Susie pulled Calvin into a tight hug, and pressed her lips against his. Calvin lifted Susie in his arms and held her close. Susie broke the kiss and put her forehead against Calvin's. "We better get to sleep," Calvin whispered. "We have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow."  
Susie nodded, and reluctantly released Calvin. She stepped away and let her shirt fall to the ground, followed by her bra. Calvin smiled and yanked his shirt and pants off. Susie shimmied out of her skinny jeans and stood there in just her socks and panties.

Calvin stepped in close and leaned down. His lips found Susie's, and he lifted her up again, carrying her over to the bed.  
"Remember, we have a long ride tomorrow," Susie smirked.  
"Yes, ma'am," Calvin grumbled good-naturedly. Without warning, Calvin let go of Susie, attempting to dump her on the bed. Susie's arms shot up and wrapped around Calvin's shoulders. Calvin fell down with her, and the pair sprawled across the bed, laughing at one another. Susie's laughter subsided, and she rolled over to face Calvin. She reached across the bed and took Calvin's hand. Calvin propped himself up on one arm and leaned down towards Susie.  
Susie sighed happily as Calvin's lips brushed her cheek. She rolled back over, snuggled up with her back to Calvin's chest, and turned off the light.

The next morning, the last of the guests left the beach house, headed back for civilization. Jimmy's enormous drone had arrived in the middle of the night to drop off his custom-made hover car. He'd brought it so Cheryl could drive back with him, as she was afraid of heights, and wouldn't go near the drone. Other guests piled into their parents' cars, or started their own, getting ready to return home. Mike Sullivan clicked the key fob of his Mercedes AMG GT. The powerful car rumbled to life as he climbed in. "See you at school," he called to Calvin and Susie. Calvin straddled his Harley-Davidson and started the engine. Susie climbed on behind Calvin and wrapped her arms around his waist.  
Calvin revved the motor, put the bike in gear, and smoothly pulled out onto the highway.

 _Song: Tiki Taane – "Now this is it"_

The chopper blasted along the highway in the early morning sunlight. Calvin's blond hair glowed in the sun, and Susie's brown tresses whipped behind her under the edge of the helmet. Calvin rode like a madman, weaving in between cars, passing people left and right as he zeroed in on a point in the distance. Along an open stretch of road, Calvin gunned the Harley's engine, and the bike shot forward. A second later, Calvin eased off the throttle as the bike drew up beside Jimmy and Cheryl, in Jimmy's hover car.

Jimmy and Calvin had built the car together on the frame of an old Chevy Camaro. The V8 engine had been replaced with a power source of Jimmy's own design. Calvin had thought it best not to ask when Jimmy had lifted the glowing blue device into the empty engine bay. Four glowing nodes replaced the Camaro's wheels, lifting the entire car half a foot off the ground, and the body of the car was finished in a flawless, glossy black with blue trim. Jimmy sat at the wheel, Cheryl in the passenger seat, with the car's windows down. Cheryl's long red locks flowed behind her like flame, while Jimmy's blue beanie sat resolutely on his head.

"Nice day for a drive!" Calvin called over his bike's engine. Jimmy nodded. With that, Calvin sped up and left the hover car in the distance. A minute later, the Camaro drew alongside the Harley, and Cheryl leaned out the window. "Just stick with us!" she yelled. Calvin nodded and eased off the gas. The orange chopper and black hover car tore up the asphalt for miles, in a dance of man and machine. Every few minutes, the Camaro and the Harley would switch to the same lane while they passed someone in the slow lane. Calvin wore a huge grin under his riding mask as they raced along, while Jimmy kept his face set in concentration.

 _Song: Lynrd Skynrd – "Sweet Home Alabama"_  
Two hours later, Calvin and Jimmy pulled into the parking lot of a small town's roadhouse. The brown wooden building boasted a bar-and-grill, overnight rooms and a small gas station.  
The fuel gauges on both vehicles glared empty. Calvin pulled to a stop at the gas pump, while Jimmy stopped the Camaro at an electric car charging station outside the diner. Calvin filled the Harley's tank while Susie watched suspiciously as the numbers ticked up. Eventually, Susie tapped Calvin on the shoulder. "That can't be right. How have you filled up over twenty gallons? That tank can't be more than five gallons! Not to mention it's only charging you for two gallons!"  
Calvin smirked. "The power of imagination."

Suddenly, a loud engine intruded on their conversation. An old black car rolled to a stop outside the roadhouse, and two men dressed in leather jackets, plaid shirts and jeans climbed out. Without a second glance at Calvin and the others, the two men entered the roadhouse. Calvin's eyes widened as he saw a glint of metal under their coats.  
"Should we wait a bit?" Susie asked. "Those guys looked dangerous."  
"It should be fine," Calvin shrugged. "Besides, we're not staying long. We just need lunch and a bathroom break."  
Susie rolled her eyes. " _You_ need lunch. It's been three hours since breakfast."  
"Exactly," Calvin exclaimed as he pushed open the roadhouse's door. "Breakfast at nine, lunch at twelve, a snack at three, and dinner at six!"

"I like the way you think, pal!" a voice interrupted Calvin. The two men from outside sat at a corner table, eating their food. Or rather, the taller one fiddled with a laptop and picked at his salad, while the shorter one plowed through a huge hamburger and a beer with gusto.  
The shorter man finished his bite of burger and waved at Calvin and the others. "C'mere, siddown." He smiled as the four teens sat in the booth. "Now, which one of you owns that Camaro out there?"  
Jimmy nodded shyly. "Me."

The man in the leather jacket gave an impressed whistle. "Looks like you got a good eye for Chevy, dude. You and your friends just traveling?"  
"Yeah," Calvin spoke up. "How about you?"  
"We're out working, and that's all we can say," the taller man piped up. "My brother gets a little chatty when he's been driving too long."  
"And Sammy just gets cranky cause he's gotta ride shotgun all the time," the shorter one finished. "I'm Dean, by the way."  
"I'm Calvin, this is Susie, that's Cheryl, and Jimmy," Calvin replied. "What are you guys doing here?"  
"A friend told us to come here," Sam piped up, with a look at Dean that clearly said _shut up_.

"That's cool," Cheryl smiled. "What do you guys recommend to eat?"  
"Burger," Dean said instantly, just as Sam replied, "Salad."  
Susie smirked. "I think I'll go for a taco."  
" _Not the tacos,_ " both boys deadpanned in unison.  
A door opened at the back of the diner and an attractive blonde woman stepped out. "Sam, Dean; Ellen wants to see you."  
In a flash, Sam and Dean had disappeared into the kitchen. Meanwhile, the blonde walked up to Calvin and the others. "Hi there, welcome to the Roadhouse. I'm Jo. What can I get you?"

Two salads, a plate of fries and a burger later, the four teenagers relaxed in the booth with full bellies. Cheryl wiped her lips with a napkin and Susie polished off the last of her fries. Calvin and Jimmy slumped in their seats with matching groans. Susie tapped Calvin on the shoulder. "Ready to go?"  
Calvin grunted and hauled himself to his feet. "Yeah, let's hit the road."

As they left the roadhouse, Calvin noticed the other black Chevrolet was already gone. Four hours later, the chopper and the Camaro entered town and split up. Jimmy drove Cheryl off in the direction of her apartment, and Calvin headed for Susie's house.

Susie tapped Calvin on the shoulder. "Do we have to go home now? My mom's going to kill me for leaving."  
"I was out two days longer than I told my folks I'd be gone, so I know how you feel," Calvin smirked, changing down to stop at a traffic light and signaling left. "That being said, the longer you stay out, the worse the music you'll have to face will be. It's probably Justin Beaver and One Infection at this point, but you stick it out another day, it'll probably be along the lines of Creed and Spin Doctors." Calvin shuddered.  
"Fine, traitor," Susie thumped Calvin's shoulder. "I'm just happy you're getting in trouble too."  
"I'm sure I'll live," Calvin smirked, leaning left as they roared through the lights.

Calvin's chopper pulled up in front of the Watterson house and Calvin cut the engine. "You sure you don't want me to go in there with you?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of the house next door.  
"I'll be fine," Susie nodded. "Mom never stays mad at me for very long. Dad calms her down."  
Calvin stood up and helped Susie dismount the bike. He pulled Susie into a long hug and kissed the top of her head through his riding mask. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."  
"I might need a ride," Susie smiled knowingly.  
Calvin released Susie and pulled his mask down. Susie stood up tall and kissed Calvin one more time, before taking her backpack and disappearing over the fence.

Susie slipped through the door of her house, closing it as quietly as possible, and turned to find herself face-to-face with her mother.  
"So," said Mrs. Derkins. "Where were you?"  
"W-with Calvin, at M-Mike Sullivan's beach house," Susie stammered, shivering under her mother's withering glare. "Cheryl was there too."  
Mrs. Derkins glared at Susie for another minute, but what happened next made Susie's jaw drop. "I'm just glad you're home safe." Her mother stepped forward and pulled Susie into a hug.  
"Mom? Are you okay?" Susie asked, in shock.

Mrs. Derkins collected herself. "Your father and I had a long talk about this while you were gone. He told me that if you were in trouble, you would have said so. Calvin's parents knew where you both were too."  
"So, am I in trouble?" Susie prompted. Her mother shook her head. "Not this time. But I expect you to tell me these things from now on, or you will be. Are we clear?"  
Susie nodded and ran up to her room. She threw her bag on her bed and whipped open her phone to see a text from Calvin.

 _Calvin: "How'd it go? Your parents read you the Riot Act yet?"  
Susie: "No, they said I wasn't even in trouble!"  
Calvin: "That's a good thing. I'm not in trouble either, and they don't suspect a thing about 'us.'"  
Susie: "Good. See you at school, Calvin."  
Calvin: "Later."_

Susie closed her phone and relaxed back on her bed, memories of the weekend running through her head; the dancing, the driving, Calvin's kiss…  
Susie smiled and opened the Notes app on her phone and began to write.  
" _This weekend, I kissed him…_ "

 _Author's Notes:  
So, the weekend is over, and everyone goes back to the grind tomorrow!  
Also, yes, Jimmy does have a hover car. The dude is a genius with a capital mastermind.  
Also, also, Calvin and Susie are officially an item, but no one except Jimmy and Cheryl know yet. This could be all kinds of interesting…  
Next chapter is coming soon. Till then, thanks for reading  
-the Seacopath_


	11. Chapter 11: The Gossip and the Grind

**Chapter 11: The Gossip and Grind**

 _Song: Jon Bellion – "Guillotine" ft. Travis Mendes  
_ The next morning dawned over the Watterson and Derkins houses. Calvin's alarm clock once again shook as his fist smashed the button down. The blond teenager dragged himself out of bed and clicked on his stereo. Jon Bellion's voice sounded through Calvin's bedroom, singing his newest single.

" _The secrets you tell me, I'll take to my grave.  
There's bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway.  
And if you have nightmares, we'll dance on the bed,  
I know that you'll love me, love me, even when I lose my head, guillotine._"

As the bass pounded, Calvin grooved and shimmied around his room, slipping on his red and black t-shirt, black jeans and red shoes. He grabbed his iPhone off its charging dock and slipped out, letting the door close behind him. Calvin hopped down the stairs into the kitchen to find Hobbes lounging on the counter in his wild tiger form, enjoying a piece of French toast.  
"So," the tiger nodded to Calvin. "You gonna tell me what happened this weekend, or am I going to have to ask Mr. Bun?"

Calvin grabbed a piece of toast from the counter and opened his backpack. "I'll tell you on the ride to school. Get in, fuzz ball."

 _Song: The Veils – "Low Lays the Devil"  
_ Calvin stepped through his front door, Hobbes tucked safely in his backpack. Susie was waiting beside Calvin's orange chopper, already wearing her helmet. Calvin put his backpack on the ground and pulled Susie in for a hug. "Morning," Calvin smiled, before lowering his voice. " _Hobbes is in my bag, and he wants me to tell him what happened. Let's shock the hell out of him._ "  
Susie smiled and nodded. "Morning to you too." With that, she straddled the bike as Calvin clipped his bag to the back axle of the chopper. Calvin started the bike and pulled out of the driveway, heading for school.

As they cruised down the street, Hobbes' head poked out of Calvin's bag as he strained to hear what Susie was saying to Calvin.  
"That was some kiss we had over the weekend, huh?" Calvin called to Susie over the roar of the engine. Hobbes' eyes widened as Susie nodded.  
"Yeah it was, but the sex was better." As Calvin spoke again, Hobbes' eyes went from wide to bugging out of his head. _What the heck? They had sex?  
_ "I was pretty surprised when you brought out the lube and the ball gag, though," Calvin replied.

Hobbes' mouth fell open like a fish out of water as Calvin and Susie continued talking dirty.  
"And remember, I _did_ draw the line when you said you wanted to bring another guy into the mix," Calvin continued. "I mean, that's a bit too much dude for me."  
"I wouldn't say no to bringing in another girl though," Susie replied casually.  
The chopper swerved and nearly hit a lamppost. Even under his riding mask, it was clear to see that Calvin's jaw had hit the proverbial floor. Once everyone's hearts had stopped racing from the near crash, Calvin leaned back towards Susie. "We need to talk about this later."

A few minutes later, Calvin and Susie rolled into school, and Calvin cut the chopper's engine. He opened the saddlebag Hobbes sat in, and the tiger gave him his best scowl. "You sir, owe me an explanation for that. You guys sure went from zero to a hundred, didn't you?"  
Calvin doubled over, laughing hysterically. "We were just messing with you, buddy!"  
Hobbes crossed his arms. "You will be telling me the truth after school today or so help me, I'll eat you."  
"All right fur ball," Calvin smirked. "Let's get to class."

The bell rang and Calvin stepped into art class. Miss McLaughlin waved hello as Calvin sat at the back of the class. Calvin whipped out his sketchbook and began drawing Hobbes, who had taken up a spot by the window. The tiger lazily lounged on the counter in front of the window, in a bright sunspot. As Calvin sketched, Hobbes' eyes fell shut and he began snoring.  
"Right!" Miss McLaughlin said brightly. "Today we'll be drawing the animal of our choice. Everyone take out your phones and find a picture to work with."  
Calvin smirked, and just continued sketching.

An hour later, the scratching of pens and pencils had stopped. Miss McLaughlin opened the submission box on her desk and the class stepped forward to hand in their work. Calvin stood in line behind Taane Kaha, an exchange student from New Zealand. On Taane's paper, a terrifying creature stared out at Calvin like it could see into his soul. The creature resembled a dragon, with a tribal-style human face. Calvin tapped Taane's shoulder. "What is that? It's not real, is it?"  
Taane turned and grinned. "Yeah, nah, bro. No one knows for sure, aye."  
Calvin handed in his tiger sketch and left class, the eyes of the creature in Taane's drawing still in his mind.

 _The famous explorer Safari Al hacked his way through the thick New Zealand jungle, searching for the monster that had been terrorizing the villagers for years. Days of searching had turned up nothing, but this time, Al knew he was onto something. The forest was eerily silent. No birds sang, no wind rustled through the leaves, not even the buzzing of bugs could be heard. Even as he tried to be stealthy, Al's footsteps echoed through the trees like cannon shots._

 _Suddenly, Al noticed a rustle of a bush. He raised his trusty machete. "Come out of there, monster," he growled menacingly. The shrub's leaves quivered once, before it stilled.  
"All right," Al smirked, walking over to the bush and lifting his machete. "You wanna play with Safari Al? Let's-"  
The bush exploded upwards, revealing a man underneath, covered in leaves and yelling a war cry. The ferocious attack knocked Safari Al over…_

Calvin landed facedown on the concrete as Moe's brutal swing connected with the back of his head. Dimly, he heard his phone crunch under him, and a tearing of cloth.  
"That's what you get for fucking up my truck and getting me suspended, Twinkie!" Moe shouted. Calvin picked himself up and put a hand on his face where he'd landed. When he brought his hand away, it was covered in blood. Calvin only saw Moe's next punch when it was a foot away, and he soared backwards, landing hard again. Moe leaned down and spat on Calvin as he lay bleeding on the concrete. "You got off easy today, Twinkie. Tomorrow we'll have some goddamn fun."

Moe stomped away as Calvin picked himself up shakily. Across the yard, Cheryl spotted Calvin and ran up to him. "Are you okay?" she asked, helping Calvin stand up.  
"I'm fine," Calvin grunted, wincing as his head and ribs throbbed.  
Cheryl frowned. "No, you're not fine." She whipped out her phone and dialed someone. "Hey Jimmy, it's me. Calvin got into a fight with Moe and he's hurt. Help me get him to the nurse."  
A second later, Jimmy ran up and put Calvin's arm over his shoulder.  
"Thanks, man," Calvin coughed. "Sorry I'm gettin' blood all over you."  
"It's okay," Jimmy replied honestly. "You got beat up by Moe and lived to tell about it."

As they entered the nurse's office, Calvin felt a light bulb switch on in his mind. "You know, I think I have a plan."  
"Uh-oh," Jimmy frowned. "Tell me you're not thinking of fighting Moe again, are you?"  
"No," Calvin smirked. "I'm just thinking about how we can deal with Moe once and for all. Meet me at my house after school, and tell Cheryl to come too. Susie can ride home with me. If this works, we'll never have to deal with Moe again."

The bell rang for the second half of the day. Calvin had been released from the nurse's office after she'd pronounced him fit for class. When he entered the Social Studies classroom, Mr. Maxwell gasped at the large gash still on Calvin's face. "What happened to you?"  
"It's fine, Mr. Maxwell," Calvin replied. "Although I have a few questions for you after class."  
Mr. Maxwell nodded slowly, before opening his lesson planner. "Okay class, today, we're looking at the concept of pyramid economic, and how they affect the working class."

At the end of class, Calvin lingered at Mr. Maxwell's desk with his assignment in his hand. The teacher walked over from the blackboard with a concerned look on his face. "What is this about, Calvin? I heard a rumor that you were in a fight with Moe Malone?"  
"Well, it looks like he harbors a grudge, that's for sure," Calvin tried to joke, but winced as his ribs throbbed.  
Mr. Maxwell crossed his arms. "This is serious, Calvin. If you want, I can take this up with Principal Spittle. Moe can't terrorize people like this."

"It's okay, really," Calvin shook his head. "I was just wondering, can people go to jail for attempted murder?"  
"Of course," Mr. Maxwell nodded. "I remember this one case I heard about in Ireland a year ago or so. This guy, I think his name was Scapegrace; he was arrested for a bunch of counts of attempted murder. Even though he never actually killed anyone, he was still put in jail. What does this have to do with your fight with Moe anyway?"  
Calvin smiled. "Nothing, I was just curious." He put his assignment on the teacher's desk and walked out the door, humming.

Mr. Maxwell picked up the piece Calvin had made for the class. On the paper was a drawing of a pyramid of birds. The top bird's blue feathers shone, and at the bottom of the page, the nine other birds were completely covered in the unmistakable off-white of bird crap. Mr. Maxwell chuckled and slipped the paper into the folder on his desk.

Calvin pushed through the school doors and walked to the parking lot. Susie stood by his chopper, but gasped when she saw the bandage on Calvin's face. "What the hell did Moe do to you?"  
"It's fine," Calvin reassured her. However, Susie was having none of it.  
"It's not fine!" she yelled. "Moe pounded you into the concrete like a damn steamroller! I have half a mind to hit him myself!"  
Calvin smirked. "Trust me, it won't work. His skull's so thick, he wouldn't even feel it."  
In spite of herself, Susie smiled a little. "I just hate seeing you get hurt," she said gently.  
"I know," Calvin nodded, giving Susie a quick kiss on the cheek. "Come on, we're meeting Jimmy and Cheryl at my house. I've got a plan to deal with Moe permanently."

In Calvin's garage, Jimmy, Susie and Cheryl sat on a set of folding chairs as Calvin drew up his plan. In his stuffed-tiger form, Hobbes sat on the workbench.  
"I just found out that people can go to jail for attempted murder," Calvin grinned. "So what we do is, we get Moe to try to kill me."  
Susie shot to her feet. "Are you crazy?"  
Cheryl's mouth fell open. "Moe wiped the floor with you today and you want him to do it again?"  
"Right now, yes, I am crazy!" Calvin exclaimed. "Don't you guys think I'm tired of being Moe's personal punching bag?"  
Jimmy nodded and spoke up. "Calvin's right. Moe is a jerk, and he needs to suffer." The fierce expression on Jimmy's face startled everyone in the garage, even Hobbes.

"What do we do?" Jimmy asked Calvin.  
Calvin grinned and uncapped a whiteboard marker.

 _Author's Notes:  
This is gonna be great. I can already sense the air is thick with antici…_


	12. Chapter 12: Escape and Emergency

**Chapter 12: Escape and Emergency**

 _Five weeks until prom_

Calvin rolled out of bed and flicked on the light switch. The lights in the tree house clicked on, and the blinds opened, letting in the soft light of the surrounding forest. Beside Calvin, Susie softly snoozed under the covers. She'd asked to escape for a while after a bad fight with her mom, and Calvin had suggested they camp out for a couple days in the woods during a long weekend.  
"Morning," Calvin nudged Susie. She rolled over and grunted. "Nooo, turn the light off, mom."

Calvin leaned over and blew a raspberry next to Susie's head. She shot awake and tumbled out of bed with an indignant squawk. "Calvin!"  
A second later, Susie's brown eyes appeared over the edge of the bed, her eyebrows furrowed in a deep frown.  
"Oh come on!" Calvin laughed. "You can never stay mad at me." He hopped up on the bed and held out his hand. Susie grudgingly took it and climbed back up, but her frown melted when Calvin pressed his lips to hers.

 _Here be some sexiness. Skip ahead if you can't handle it._

Calvin reached under the flimsy pajama shirt that Susie wore, as she ran her hand down his chest. Susie let out a small gasp as Calvin lightly squeezed her breasts under her shirt. Calvin rolled onto his back, and Susie sat on top of him. She slipped her shirt off, and Calvin leaned up, teasing her breasts and nipples with his tongue. Susie leaned forward and pushed Calvin down into another kiss, before swinging one leg off him. Susie slipped off her pajama pants and lay down on top of Calvin. She began to move down, taking Calvin's pants with her.

Soon, Susie came face to face with Calvin's straining erection. She lightly began stroking it up and down. Calvin closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. Susie took this as her cue to go faster. After a minute, Calvin grabbed Susie's hand and guided her back up the bed. Susie turned around and lay down on top of Calvin, presenting her wet center to him. Calvin reached his head up, and ran his tongue from one end of Susie's slit to the other. Susie gave a shuddering gasp at Calvin's touch, before returning her attention to Calvin. She cautiously bent down and took the head of Calvin's member into her mouth. Susie gasped and shook as Calvin's tongue hit a sensitive spot. Calvin eventually stopped and tapped Susie's leg. "Turn around."

Susie turned and straddled Calvin again. She reached between her legs and maneuvered Calvin's penis into place. Susie pushed Calvin inside her and sank down with a quiet yelp. Soon, Calvin and Susie's hips were touching. Susie began grinding her hips back and forth as Calvin thrust up into her from underneath. As Susie moved up and down, Calvin placed his hand on her mound and rubbed her clit with his thumb. Susie threw her head back and grabbed her breasts, opening her mouth with a deep gasp. Her breathing became shallow, and Susie practically threw herself forward. She landed on top of Calvin's chest, and he pulled her in for a deep kiss.

Without missing a beat, Calvin got to his knees on the bed and flipped Susie over so she lay on her side. Calvin lifted one of Susie's legs over his shoulder and thrust into her. Almost immediately, Susie's eyes shot open and her breathing sped up. As Susie and Calvin continued, a piece of paper fell the floor off the desk and fluttered to a stop on the floor.  
Meanwhile, Susie was so far gone, all she could do was clutch the sheets and moan. Calvin hammered into her as fast and as hard as he could. Susie's breathing shallowed and her eyes rolled back as she came hard. Calvin's climax followed soon after, and both teenagers fell back on the bed and snuggled up to each other.

 _Sexiness is over. You can open your eyes again._

"Wow," Susie breathed, feeling her heart rate finally slow down. "That was…"  
"Wow," Calvin agreed. "I wish we didn't have school today."  
Susie propped herself up on one arm. "Please tell me you aren't about to pull some tasteless line about us staying here and _doing it all night and day_. This isn't a country song."  
Calvin smirked and put on an exaggerated cowboy accent. "Little lady, I ain't Superman, but even if I was, I ain't _that_ cheesy."  
Susie laughed and thumped Calvin's shoulder.  
A second later, Calvin stood up. "You want to dance?"

"What? Now?" Susie asked. "We're naked."  
Calvin stood in the center of the floor and opened his arms. Susie smiled and rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. She stepped over to Calvin and let him wrap his arms around her, as the stereo began playing.

 _"_ _I don't like my mind right now.  
Stacking up problems that are so unnecessary.  
Wish that I could slow things down.  
I wanna let go but there's comfort in the panic."_

Calvin and Susie twirled around the room, their practice long since paid off. Susie spun around Calvin, hands above her head, until she revolved back into his arms. Calvin let Susie's momentum carry her backwards, until she leaned back, at arm's length. Calvin stepped back and lifted Susie out of the lean. Susie bumped into Calvin's chest and stepped back, as he broke away into a quick solo. Calvin shimmied across the floor, and then without warning, leaped forward and sprang backwards off the steps. Calvin flipped over backwards and landed beside Susie. As the final chorus roared from the speakers, Calvin spun Susie around and put an arm around her waist. She leaned in, and their lips met in a fiery, passionate kiss.

 _"_ _I'm holding on! Why is everything so heavy?  
Holding on, to so much more than I can carry!  
I keep dragging around what's bringing me down.  
If I just let go, I'd be set free  
Holding on! Why is everything so heavy?"_

The song ended, and Calvin broke the kiss. Susie's lips lingered in the space between for a second, before she opened her eyes, breathing heavily.  
"Do you ever do anything halfway?" she asked.  
Calvin gave his trademark smirk. "Nope. It's a gift, really."  
"I'll say!" came a voice. Calvin and Susie whirled around to see Hobbes lounging on a bench against a wall. Susie bolted to the bed with a small _eep_ and grabbed for the duvet, frantically covering herself. Calvin stood there with his arms crossed. "How much did you see?"  
"Not much," Hobbes shrugged. "I only woke up when you two started playing the music. You seem to be dancing naked, but I do all the time, so whatever."

Calvin pulled on his boxers. "Would you mind going back to sleep till we're both dressed? You're creeping Susie out."  
Hobbes shrugged again and turned around to face the wall, before curling up on his tiger bed.  
Calvin turned to Susie and gently lifted the duvet over them both. "Hey, you."  
Susie smiled in the semi-darkness and softly pressed her lips to Calvin's. Calvin smiled and held Susie close, listening to her heartbeat and running his fingers through her hair.  
"I hate to interrupt," Hobbes called from across the room. "But I don't hear you two getting dressed, and school starts in twenty minutes!"  
A mad panic ensued.

Twenty-three minutes later, Calvin's chopper roared into the school parking lot and screeched to a halt. Susie jumped off and sprinted to the school's front door. Calvin unclipped his backpack from the bike and lazily strolled towards the door.  
However, before he even put his hand on the handle, the door swung open, and Calvin looked up to see an unfamiliar face staring at him.  
"No gang members allowed on campus," the stranger snapped. "Get out of here before I call the cops."  
Calvin froze, at a loss for words. The woman cleared her throat. "Do I have to repeat myself, or get my pepper spray?"  
"Um…" Calvin stammered. A second later, he was saved by Cheryl. "Calvin?" she called across the hall.

"Cheryl!" Calvin exclaimed. "What's going on?"  
"I'll tell you what's going on!" the very tall, very cross woman snapped at Calvin. "Mister Spittle has retired, and I am his replacement, Miss Ratford. And there will be no gang members on campus as long as I am principal!"  
Cheryl rushed over. "Miss Ratford, Calvin is my friend, and he's not in a gang. I can vouch for him."  
Calvin nodded furiously. Miss Ratford scowled, before stepping aside. "If you're lying, I will not only kick you off campus, but have you arrested."  
Calvin and Cheryl slowly rounded a corner, and broke into a sprint as soon as the dragon-lady was out of view.

During recess, Calvin sat down at a table with Susie, Cheryl and Jimmy.  
Cheryl nudged Susie. "So you've met our new overlord?"  
Susie shuddered. "It was horrible. She cornered me in the hall and accused me of smoking weed!"  
"Were you?" Jimmy asked. Susie gave Jimmy her patented ' _Are-You-Kidding-Me'_ look. "Obviously I wasn't, but she said it must have been the reason I was a few minutes late."  
"She accused me of being in a biker gang and threatened to call the cops on me," Calvin snapped. "That stick up her ass has a stick up its ass."  
"How is that even possible?" Jimmy tilted his head. "She wouldn't even be able to walk."  
Calvin patted his friend's shoulder. "It's an expression, Jimmy. I'll explain later."

Just then, the school's intercom system turned on.  
" _All students, report to your homerooms!_ " Miss Ratford's voice screeched from the speakers.  
Sharing confused looks, the four friends got up from the table and followed the crowd out of the cafeteria. At the stairs, Susie and Jimmy walked down to their homeroom in Mr. Stewart's class. Calvin and Cheryl headed up a level to Mr. Maxwell's social studies class.

As Calvin and Cheryl entered the classroom, Mr. Maxwell quickly shut the door behind them. "Quick; give me your sketchbooks and computers, if you have them."  
"What's this about?" Cheryl asked, handing over her iPad.  
Mr. Maxwell grabbed Calvin's sketchbook. "You would have met our new principal by now," he said as he inserted a key into the nostril of the giant stone Roman head that formed the bottom of his desk. At the turn of the key, the statue's entire face swung on a hinge, revealing a space stuffed with other students' books, computers and tablets.  
Mr. Maxwell slammed the statue's face shut and locked it. "She's going through all the homerooms and confiscating everything that's against her new code of conduct. I don't know how she can do that, but she's doing it. I'll give your stuff back when she leaves, but don't bring it to class again."

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the classroom. Miss Ratford strode in and sniffed disdainfully as she peered around the room. "Turn out your backpacks onto your desks and stand behind them in silence." The students did so, and Miss Ratford began stalking through the rows of desks, pulling a large garbage can behind her. Predictably, she made a beeline for Calvin's desk and began rifling through the contents of his bag, which included Hobbes. "Well, if it isn't the Hell's Angel." Ratford lifted the stuffed tiger with a scowl. "What is this?" she sneered.  
"My girlfriend gave it to me," Calvin lied smoothly. "It's a keepsake."

Miss Ratford snorted. "No, it's a toy, which means it's not allowed on campus." With that, she tossed Hobbes into the trashcan.  
"Hey!" Calvin jumped forward to grab Hobbes, but Miss Ratford whipped out a red can and held it in Calvin's face.  
"You put your hands on me, you will be in jail with the rest of your biker gang buddies before the day is out!"  
"Please, give him back!" Calvin exclaimed.  
Miss Ratford purpled. "I said stand in silence!" she shouted. "You have detention after school! As for the toy, I'll dispose of it later. If you wanted to keep it, you should have known not to bring it onto campus!"

Ratford continued patrolling the desks as Calvin seethed. Even Mr. Maxwell's jaw had dropped in astonishment. Ratford confiscated several comic books and fiction novels from people, an action figure from another boy, and six diaries from girls in the class before she stomped out, leaving the classroom thick with anguish and rage. Cheryl had had her diary taken, and she stood by her desk with her hands balled into fists, holding back tears. Calvin gripped the back of his chair so hard his knuckles turned white. _Don't worry Hobbes. I'm coming for you, buddy._

Mr. Maxwell stepped over to the statue and shakily unlocked it, handing people's books back to them. When everyone had received his or her property, Mr. Maxwell cleared his throat. "I highly recommend all of you take your stuff home before she has a chance to search this place again. If anyone asks, you have permission to go home from me." The classroom emptied and everyone made a break for the school's front door. Calvin sent a text to Jimmy and Susie. _Emergency. Meet Cheryl and me at my house ASAP!_  
Twenty minutes later, at Calvin's house, Cheryl opened the garage door as she heard Jimmy's hover car pull up. Susie and Jimmy ducked under the rising door. Susie's jaw was clenched, while Jimmy looked like he'd actually been crying. His circuit-patterned beanie was nowhere to be seen, the blue USB drive was missing from around his neck, and his backpack was gone.

"That bitch," Cheryl gasped, running over to Jimmy and pulling him into a tight hug. "Are you okay?"  
"He's not okay," Susie whispered to Calvin. "Ratford literally wrestled his backpack away from him and gave him a month of detention for fighting back. He wasn't in a state to even walk, much less drive." Susie sniffed. "She took my diary, too. There's a lock on it, but it's not Fort Knox." Susie paused as Calvin's eyes finally brimmed over. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly.  
Calvin sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "She took Hobbes."  
Susie's mouth fell open, and she leaned into Calvin's shoulder.

Calvin clenched his jaw, and spoke up. "I've changed my mind."  
Everyone turned their eyes to him, as he continued. "Moe isn't the primary target of our plan any more. Ratford is."  
"What are we going to do?" Cheryl asked.  
Calvin shook his head. "I don't know for now, but I'll sure as hell think of something for the long run. In the meantime, let's go get our stuff back."

 _Author's Notes:  
Yikes. Hope no one saw THAT coming!  
I based Principal Ratford on a combination of a few loathsome characters:  
The Trunchbull from Matilda  
Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter  
Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  
She is also loosely based off a person in my real life. (Shudder)  
Anyway, the next chapter will be ready soon, so get ready.  
-the Seacopath_


	13. Chapter 13: The Heist

**Chapter 13: The Heist**

 _Song: Eminem – "Why Him"  
_ The clock in Calvin's garage ticked past two-o-clock, as the four teenagers made their plan. Jimmy peered intently at the screen of a tablet. He'd sent a drone to scout ahead and send video back to him. Outside the school, Ratford could be seen throwing the students' property into a large crate mounted on the back of a trailer.  
Calvin stood at the whiteboard, drawing a diagram covered in arrows and curse words. After a minute, he beckoned the others in.  
"Okay, this job is going to take all of us to pull off. After school, Rat-bag is going to take all the stuff she stole either to the dump, or to her house. We need to steal it back before she gets there."

"How are we going to do that without getting caught by the police?" Cheryl asked.  
"Because you're going to run interference," Calvin nodded. "You need to make a fake police call for an address across town. With any luck, the cops won't notice what we're doing until after it's already done."  
"Why do you need my drone?" Jimmy piped up.  
Calvin pointed to the diagram. "I'm getting to that. Susie, you need to drive Jimmy's Camaro."  
"Why am I not driving?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow.  
"Because you're in no fit state to drive, after what Rat-bag did to you," Calvin replied. "And because I need you to fly your drone to steal the crate."

Soon, the plan was finalized. Calvin, Susie and Jimmy drove away in the hover Camaro wearing face shields and hats, while Cheryl picked up the phone and dialed 911. In the back seat of the Camaro, Jimmy's fingers flew over the keys of his laptop. "Okay, she's leaving the school and going to her car," he informed the others. "My drone will be over her car in five minutes."  
"We'll be at the school in three," Calvin grinned and turned to Susie. "Hit it."

 _Song: MGK – "Bad Motherfucker" ft. Kid Rock  
_ At the school building, Miss Ratford climbed into her truck and started the engine. She put the truck in gear and left the parking lot, dragging a trailer filled with confiscated students' property. Ratford allowed herself a small smile. _These delinquents are going to learn the meaning of the words 'respect authority' very, very soon._  
As Miss Ratford drove onto the freeway, she didn't notice a very large drone hovering high in the air above her car.

Back at Calvin's house, the call connected to the emergency services.  
"Hello?" Cheryl gasped. "Can you hear me? I need the police!"  
" _What is your emergency_?" asked the operator on the other end.  
Cheryl racked her brains. "There's a guy with a gun outside my friend's house and I think he might be coming in!" she exclaimed. The 911 operator immediately responded. " _Miss, where are you right now_?"  
"I'm at…" Cheryl paused and read the two addresses Calvin had given her. "I'm at 124 Union Street, in Carlton Gardens. My friend lives at 122 Union Street, one house down!"  
The 911 operator stayed on the line. " _Miss, just hang in there, and we'll be with your friend shortly._ "  
Cheryl dropped the phone and sighed heavily.

Back on the road, the Camaro drew up behind Ratford's truck, hovering low, so it looked like it had wheels. As they approached, Calvin swore. The crate containing the students' belongings was secured to the trailer with heavy tie-down straps.  
"Dammit!" Calvin shouted. "We can't get the crate!" It's strapped to the trailer!"  
"Yes we can!" Jimmy called back, passing Calvin a small silver ball. "Press the button and throw it at the trailer hitch! Susie, bring us closer!"  
"What is this?" Calvin called to the genius.  
Jimmy looked up from his tablet. "It's a liquid nitrogen charge. It'll make the trailer hitch so brittle, it will shatter like glass."  
Calvin carefully held the sphere at arm's length.

The Camaro accelerated, just as Jimmy's drone dropped four hooks down towards the trailer. Suddenly, Ratford's truck surged ahead. Calvin swore again. "She's onto us! It's now or never! Go Susie, go!" Susie hit the gas and the Camaro leapt forward. Jimmy increased the speed of the drone and the hooks swung into place over the trailer. At that moment, Ratford swerved the truck, and Susie slammed on the brakes to avoid being crushed against the freeway's concrete barrier. Ratford's truck hit the barrier and scraped along, leaving a trail of black paint.

 _Song: AC/DC – "Thunderstruck"_  
Calvin stood up in his seat and climbed over the Camaro's windshield until he knelt on the hood. "Susie, gimme a boost!" he called.

Susie stared helplessly at the Camaro's wall of controls and dials. "I don't know how!"  
Jimmy reached over the driver's seat and put his finger on a dial next to the steering wheel. "Ready?"  
Calvin crouched down and grinned. "Let's do this!" he whooped. Jimmy twisted the dial, and the Camaro's nose shot upwards. Calvin soared into the air and flipped forward, before crashing down on the trailer on top of the crate.

"Your boyfriend is a major adrenaline junkie, you know that right?" Jimmy said to Susie, who stared after Calvin wide-eyed.  
On the trailer, Calvin jumped down off the crate and landed on the floor. He reached up and snagged one of the hooks trailing from Jimmy's huge drone. Calvin knelt down and clipped the hook to an anchor point on the trailer before running to another corner and clipping on a second hook. Just then, Ratford hit the brakes on her truck. Calvin flew forwards and barely managed to grab onto a tie-down strap.

Ratford began swerving, trying to shake Calvin off the trailer. He hauled himself to the trailer's front end, where two more hooks swung in the air. Calvin jumped up and grabbed one hook, clipping it in just as Ratford violently swerved to the right and left the freeway, going off-road. Jimmy and Susie roared after the truck, the Camaro effortlessly flying over the rough terrain. Jimmy desperately changed his drone's course to avoid a crash, while Calvin frantically grabbed for the last hook as the trailer bounced around under his feet like a bucking bronco. His hand curled around the hook's cable, and he slammed it into place with a firm _clunk_. Just then, the trailer hit a rock and bounced high in the air. Calvin flew up and crashed down back on top of the crate. He grabbed the liquid nitrogen charge out of his pocket, pressed the button and threw it.

The silver sphere hit the trailer hitch on Ratford's truck and exploded in a small shower of blue slime. The result was spectacular. Anything the slime touched froze instantly, growing a layer of ice. The truck bounced over a bump, and the trailer hitch shattered into tiny pieces. Ratford surged ahead, her truck no longer weighed down by the trailer. Meanwhile, Calvin, the crate and the trailer rose into the air, hauled up by Jimmy's enormous cargo drone. Calvin stood up on top of the crate as the trailer flew up, flipping the grandest of birds after the evil principal.

Meanwhile, Moe put his Glock back in the kitchen drawer, just as a loud knock echoed through his house. Moe jumped in surprise and accidentally squeezed the Glock's trigger. The gunshot went off like a cannon blast in the small space, and Moe whipped around in shock as an armor-wearing policeman smashed his door in. Several shouts of _ON THE GROUND_ and _LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS_ later, Moe lay on the floor, his hands cuffed behind his back and an armored cop shouting in his ear.

Jimmy changed the drone's course, and the crate swung out in a wide turn, at almost a forty-five-degree angle to the ground. Calvin whooped and grabbed one of the hook cables as he soared through the air like Superman. The trailer rose up as the drone reeled in its hooks, until Calvin could touch the huge aircraft's underbelly. Calvin sat cross-legged on the crate and laughed as the drone soared through the clouds towards the tree house.

Ten minutes later, Calvin touched down in the forest, mildly shivering from the cold and the altitude. Jimmy and Susie were already there, and they'd picked up Cheryl on the way to the forest.  
Cheryl stared openmouthed at Calvin as he descended through the trees. "That has got to be the ballsy-est thing I've ever seen!"  
"You should have seen the other guys," Calvin smirked, pointing to Susie and Jimmy as he hopped to the ground and undid the four hooks. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have everyone's stuff back."

Susie stepped up and slugged Calvin in the arm. "That's for scaring me, you dumb noodle-loaf!  
"Ow!" Calvin groused, but he was cut off by Susie's lips on his.  
"That's for everything else," Susie blushed.  
"Okay!" Cheryl said brightly as she popped the top off the crate. "Who wants their stuff back?" Next second, Cheryl screamed as an angry tiger leaped from the crate and landed on the ground beside the four teenagers. Jimmy shouted and backpedaled until he hit the trunk of the oak tree.  
"Wait, it's okay!" Calvin shouted.  
Cheryl hid behind the crate. " _How is anything okay? There's a TIGER out here!_ "  
"Relax," Calvin reassured Cheryl and Jimmy. "It's a long story, but this is my best friend Hobbes."

The next day, Ratford's truck drove into the school parking lot, sporting a long scrape down the left side. Ratford kicked her door open and stomped across the parking lot to the school building, but stopped short when she saw the scene in front of her.  
A throng of students crowded around her trailer, which was suspended in midair under a huge drone. On the trailer, four students dressed in masks were throwing down the items she'd confiscated yesterday! After a few minutes, the last item had been tossed, and the students cheered.  
"What is the meaning of this?" Ratford bellowed, pushing through the crowd.

One of the students on the trailer looked down as Ratford stormed towards them. "Clear the way!" he shouted to the gathered crowd. "We're coming down with a bang!" At his words, the students spread out, forming a hole directly underneath the flying trailer. Next, three things happened in very quick succession. The four aeronauts threw several silver spheres into the trailer bed, before jumping up and each grabbing a cable on a corner of the trailer. Suddenly, a layer of ice formed on the sides of the metal box, and the hooks holding it in the air released.

The trailer fell, almost in slow motion. Ratford screamed and dived out of the way as the trailer and the crate crashed down and smashed into pieces, while the tires bounced away like demented super-balls. Meanwhile, the hovering drone roared up into the sky, carrying the four students with it, clipped to the cables. As they made their exit, the assembled students on the ground cheered like Bieber fans.  
" _GET TO CLASS!_ " Ratford shouted as loud as she could. The crowd dissolved and Ratford ran to her office, preparing to address the school on the PA system.

In Mr. Maxwell's class, two students held the window open for Calvin and Cheryl to climb inside, while one level down, Susie and Jimmy ran to the window of Mr. Stewart's room and slipped down through it. The four friends sat at their desks, their outfits changed completely. Just then, the PA system came online.  
" _All students and staff_ ," Miss Ratford's voice crackled through the speakers. " _Earlier this morning, a group of four masked delinquents flew an unlicensed aircraft onto school grounds. This aircraft was carrying a trailer full of illegal goods, and these were distributed to the students of this school._ "

A cheer went up as Ratford droned on. " _Rest assured, students, I will be conducting a search for these illegal goods. If you hand them in at the office, you will be rewarded, but if you hide anything, I will be forced to suspend you for a month._ " The cheers quickly turned to a chorus of boos.  
Ratford wasn't finished. " _And now, to the hooligans who have committed these crimes against our school, I will find you, and I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law._ "  
When the PA system finally cut off, Mr. Maxwell walked over to Calvin's desk and smiled. "That was an admirable thing you and your friends did. I'm not going to rat you out, but just be careful, okay? Ratford's bad news and everyone knows it."  
Calvin grinned and saluted the teacher as he walked back to the front of the class.  
"Okay," Mr. Maxwell clapped his hands together. "Pens out, books open, and mouths closed. Class is in session, and today we're taking a look at the good old Big Apple."

 _Author's Notes:  
I really hate Ratford's character, so Calvin has taken it upon himself to make her life as miserable as possible, and to upset her iron grip on the school any way he can.  
In total contrast is Mr. Maxwell's character. I've based him off the best teacher I've ever had in real life.  
I'm not sure how many other teacher-type characters I'll be putting in the story, but I'll see where the story goes.  
Anyway, a new chapter is coming up in a few days. I've started university full-time again, and I'm job hunting (which is a full-time job in itself), so I'll be very limited in the time I have to write. I'll do my best though.  
-the Seacopath_


	14. Chapter 14: Sauchak Rat-Splat

**Chapter 14: Sauchak Rat-Splat**

 _Four weeks until prom_

 _Song: Great Big Sea – "Boston and St. John's"_  
The evening drew to a close over Cheryl Beckett's house. Inside, Cheryl and Jimmy sat on Cheryl's couch watching a movie, while Cheryl's parents made dinner. Jimmy sat up straight on the couch, with Cheryl's head in his lap, and duct tape over his mouth. Cheryl's mother, who had grown incredibly frustrated with Jimmy's constant movie commentary, had suggested the idea.  
As the movie was drawing to a close, Cheryl nudged Jimmy's stomach with her head. "You ready for dinner?"  
Jimmy nodded, and allowed Cheryl to pull the tape off. Cheryl leaned up and lightly kissed Jimmy's cheek where the tape had come off.

At the dinner table, Cheryl's father smiled at Jimmy. "So, son, how come Cheryl hasn't told us much about you yet?"  
Jimmy flushed and looked down at his food. Cheryl stepped in quickly. "He's just shy, dad."  
"It's okay, Cheryl," Jimmy spoke up and addressed Mr. Beckett. "I'm just a private person, and I asked Cheryl to not say too much about me."  
Mr. Beckett nodded. "I respect that. Can you at least tell me what that fancy backpack of yours does?"  
Jimmy pressed a button on his watch, and his bag popped open. A small drone zipped out and flew over to the breakfast bar. As the Beckett family watched in astonishment, the little drone deployed a pair of tiny robotic arms and fluttered over the breakfast bar, making a pot of tea.

The drone picked up the mug between its two arms and slowly hovered over to Mr. Beckett. The tiny aircraft deposited the mug and hovered up to Mr. Beckett's eye level. " _Your tea is ready_ ," the drone said, before it zipped away to return to the backpack. Mrs. Beckett watched the drone land and fold itself up, wide eyed. "Can I get one of those to do the laundry for me?" she asked after a moment. The tension broke, and everyone around the table laughed.

After dinner, when Cheryl's parents had left for a movie, Cheryl led Jimmy up to her room and pulled him in for a hug. "Are you ready?" she asked gently. Jimmy slowly shook his head. "Not tonight, okay?"  
Cheryl kissed Jimmy and smiled. "I guess this means you'll be taking care of me again?"  
Jimmy nodded, and motioned for Cheryl to lie down.

 _Here's some more sexy stuff. If you can't deal with it, skip on ahead._

 _Song: Calvin Harris – "School"  
_ Jimmy opened his backpack and brought out two small devices; an egg-shaped piece of rubber, and a smartphone. Jimmy motioned for Cheryl to take the rubber egg. Cheryl twirled her tongue around the egg and brought it down her body, before she placed the egg between her legs. Jimmy opened the main app on the smartphone and pressed a button on the screen.

Immediately, a low buzzing sound filled the room. Cheryl's eyes shot open and she gasped. Jimmy sat in a chair opposite Cheryl's bed, and fixed his eyes on the tossing and turning girl in front of him. Cheryl bit her lip as the egg's vibrations shot through her body. " _More_ ," she whispered. Jimmy obliged, turning up a dial on the smartphone's touchscreen. As the vibrations increased, Cheryl thrashed on the bed, gasping loudly.

Jimmy watched as Cheryl squirmed and moaned, his own pants straining. Every so often, Cheryl gave Jimmy a look that plainly said, " _get-your-ass-over-here_ ," but every time she did, Jimmy lightly shook his head and made the vibrations spike higher, sending Cheryl into a deeper fog of lust. All too soon, Cheryl's muscles tightened, and her brain's pleasure center was carpet-bombed by her orgasm. Cheryl writhed around on the bed, calling out to whatever divinities there were for half a minute. As Cheryl's orgasm wore off, she slumped back onto the covers, her porcelain skin covered in tiny droplets of sweat.

"What setting was that?" she asked breathlessly, locking her green eyes with Jimmy's blue ones.  
Jimmy smirked a little. "That was setting number three."  
Cheryl's eyes widened. "Out of how many?"  
Jimmy grinned widely. "Eleven."  
"Wow…" Cheryl's voice cut off with a gasp as the vibrations started up again with renewed vigor.

 _Sexy time is over for now. Back to our tale._

 _Song: Calvin Harris – "I'm Not Alone"_  
The next morning, Jimmy and Cheryl rolled into the school parking lot in Jimmy's hover Camaro. Jimmy pulled the parking brake, and the car lowered itself to the ground. A second later, the roar of a v-twin engine intruded on the peace of the morning. Calvin and Susie rolled up on Calvin's chopper, but neither one of them looked very happy. Susie jumped off and glared at Calvin. "You should have said something!"

"Well what was I supposed to say? I don't even know what made her like me in the first place!" Calvin shouted over the roar of his bike's engine.  
Susie crossed her arms. "You shouldn't have told her you were getting married! Literally anything else would have been better!"  
"I'm sorry, I don't work well under pressure!" Calvin threw his hands up as Jimmy and Cheryl looked on in confusion.  
Susie poked Calvin's chest as the four friends began walking inside school. "Look, just play it off as a joke, and there's no harm done. The last thing we need is the whole school thinking we're getting married."

The school doors swung open and Calvin and Susie stopped in their tracks as Moe stomped forward. "Now what's this I hear?" he leered. "Twinkie and his dyke are gettin' mawwied?"  
Susie turned to Calvin and thumped him in the chest. "You butt-head!"  
"Well, the lady's gone first," Moe grunted. "Guess it's my turn." With that, Moe stepped forward and socked Calvin in the guts. Calvin leaned forward, all the air leaving his lungs with a _whoof_. He collapsed on the concrete and Moe stepped forward again, until Jimmy stood in his path.  
"You want some too, shrimpy?" Moe sneered.

"Do you know what this is?" Jimmy calmly asked Moe, pointing to a glowing blue node on top of his metal backpack.  
"What is it?" Moe grunted.  
Jimmy crossed his arms. "It's a force field generator. And tell me what the words on the sign say.  
Moe peered closer. "E-elec-tricycle haz-lizard."  
Jimmy leaned into Moe's personal space. "What kind of a man punches someone in the guts like that? I dare you to punch me too, you ignorant fuck."  
Moe growled and drew back his fist.

Moe's punch rocketed forward, but a foot away from Jimmy's head, the air around him seemed to bend in a blue haze. Moe's fist uncontrollably shot back at him, and everyone watching gasped as the bully punched himself in his own face with the force of a freight train. Moe folded over as Susie helped Calvin to his feet. Calvin gave Jimmy a triumphant high five. "That was awesome, dude! If I ever laugh at any of your inventions again-"  
"I'll know you've gone back to normal," Jimmy snickered as the four friends skirted the downed bully.  
Cheryl piped up. "Come on, let's get to class before Rat-bag tries to pin some stupid crap on us again."

Several hours later, the bell rang for lunch. Jimmy pulled Calvin off to the side and opened his backpack. Inside the metal bag sat a strange wooden lever device, and several cans of whipped cream.  
"Wow," Calvin smirked. "Cheryl is really putting you through your paces, huh?"  
Jimmy gave Calvin a blank look. Calvin leaned down and peered into the bag. "So anyway, what are we doing with this stuff?"  
Jimmy picked up the lever device. "We're going to give Ratford a pie in the face."

In the hallway, Calvin stood outside the door of the teacher's lounge; or rather, Ratford's lounge. The principal had kicked all the other teachers out of the lounge, which sure as hell hadn't won her any brownie points. " _Serves her right_ ," Calvin thought as he kept watch with a cup of coffee in his hand. Inside the lounge, Jimmy was busy rigging the fridge and a camera to capture the prank.  
As he worked, Jimmy chuckled softly to himself. "This ought to mess up her day." Jimmy tested the fridge door. When the door swung open, the lever device unfolded and swung an arm out of the fridge at eye level. Satisfied with the device, Jimmy placed a pie tray on the arm and sprayed a mountain of whipped cream on top.

Just then, Jimmy's phone buzzed with a text from Calvin.  
 _Calvin: "Rat-bag is coming! You have thirty seconds to either hide or get your ass out!"  
_ Jimmy threw his backpack under the couch and wriggled underneath too. A second later, Ratford marched through the lounge's door. The principal stomped over to the fridge. Jimmy dug his phone out of his pocket and activated the camera he'd mounted to the wall beside the fridge. Ratford opened the fridge door, and let loose a piercing scream. A loud _splat_ echoed through the teachers lounge as the lever device swung out of the fridge. Ratford staggered back from the fridge, whipped cream dripping down her face and her cardigan.

Jimmy's face stretched into a wide grin. The device had worked perfectly. Ratford slammed the fridge door shut and stormed out of the room with an absolutely furious look on her face. A second later, Calvin sent another text.  
 _Calvin: "That was GENIUS, man! I've never seen Rat-bag look so pissed! It's all clear for you to come out."  
_ Shaking slightly from the adrenaline high, Jimmy shimmied out from under the couch, grabbed the tiny camera, and quickly slipped out the door.

After school, the four friends returned to Calvin's tree house. Calvin pulled four beers from the mini fridge and passed them around. "Here's to a prank well-executed by Mister Sauchak." Calvin raised his beer in the air, and Susie and Cheryl followed suit. Jimmy blushed as his friends toasted him, before taking a sip of his beer.  
Calvin crossed the room to his scheme whiteboard and flipped it over to the blank side. "Now," he began. "We've taken care of Rat-bag for the moment. Next, we need to focus on Moe."  
Soon, the whiteboard was once again full of writing, arrows, curse words and cartoon anvils falling on heads. Cheryl popped the top off another beer and raised it to Calvin and the others. "I can't wait till we pull this off and all the jerks are out of our lives once and for all."

 _Author's Notes:  
What could the friends be planning? Find out soon!_


	15. Interlude: Characters and Cars

This is a quick interlude. I've been getting a few questions about the characters, and their vehicles.  
I thought I should explain the main (and some minor) characters that fill this story of mine.  
Some minor characters are based off people I know in real life, although for obvious reasons, identities have been changed and kept anonymous.  
Anyway, here goes.

Calvin Watterson:  
The hero of this story. Calvin is a highly precocious, highly creative person. He excels at art and writing at school, and he is an adept mechanic. He built his own motorcycle from scratch, and he frequently designs pranking devices (spoilers).  
Sometime during his childhood, Calvin got lost in his town's large forest for almost a month. During this time, he brought Hobbes to life with the power of his imagination, and unlocked his abilities. Calvin has the power to change the world around him in a limited capacity simply by using his imagination. His dream job is to be an astronaut or a detective.  
Calvin is 5 feet 10 inches tall with spiky blond hair and grey eyes. His favourite outfit is a red and black striped t-shirt, black pants, red Converse shoes, and a black leather motorcycle jacket with a tiger patch on the back. He also loves tiger-print-anything. Calvin's fatal food weakness is any type of gummy candy.

Hobbes:  
Calvin's best (semi-imaginary) friend. Hobbes is a stuffed tiger that was brought to life by Calvin's imagination. Hobbes is Calvin's partner in crime, confidant, best friend and brother all in one. He is exceedingly wise, and incredibly sarcastic when he wants to be.  
Because he was brought to life by Calvin's imagination, Hobbes' true form can only be seen by imaginative people, like kids and teenagers. Adults only see Hobbes in his inanimate stuffed-tiger form. Calvin, Susie and a few others can see Hobbes as either a wild tiger, or his real form; a bipedal, anthropomorphic tiger.  
He walks on two legs, he can talk, and his facial expressions are closer to those of humans' than tigers'.  
Hobbes' stuffed-tiger form is about 2 feet tall, and less than one pound. Hobbes' wild tiger form is 390 cm long (including his tail) and weighs 500 pounds in total. This is his most dangerous form, because he has all the strength and power of a real tiger. Hobbes' true tiger form is the same height and weight as an average adult male; 6 feet tall and 180 pounds.  
Hobbes is bright orange with black stripes on his face, back and tail, and a white belly. His speaking voice is that of a thirty-year-old human male.  
His fatal food weakness is tuna.

Susie Derkins:  
Calvin's best female friend/frenemy. Through their childhood, Susie was the target of a multitude of pranks by Calvin, but as she grew older, she became less of a frenemy, and more of a friend to Calvin. Susie is very academically gifted, and she is highly anticipated to achieve valedictorian in high school. Susie's dream is to become a lawyer or a doctor. In her childhood, Susie was a loner, because she wasn't 'cool' enough to hang out with the girls at her school, and even at a young age, boys were intimidated by her stubbornness and intelligence. Cheryl Beckett helped Susie become more social, and Susie is now in a small group of close friends, including Calvin, Jimmy and Cheryl.  
Susie is 5 feet 4 inches tall, with chest-length brown hair and brown eyes. Her favourite outfit is a stylish shirt, blue Levi's, Converse sneakers, and a sweater. She usually wears a necklace with a purple jewel in it.  
Susie's fatal food weakness is chocolate.

Jimmy Sauchak:  
The school genius, and a brilliant inventor. Jimmy Sauchak is a cousin of the legendary DedSec hacker Josh Sauchak. Josh gave Jimmy his signature piece of technology; a giant cargo drone that Jimmy uses for personal transport. Jimmy is a mathematical and technological genius, capable of writing almost any program, and building any electronic device he can think of. Jimmy suffers from mild Asperger's Syndrome, which affects his social skills and his understanding of humor, so he was often the butt of his classmates' jokes.  
Calvin became friends with Jimmy after a failed prank. Calvin tried to rig a slingshot to fire water balloons at Jimmy when he walked past. Jimmy was able to deploy a prototype of a shield concealed in the jacket he was wearing at the time, stopping Calvin's prank.  
Calvin saw Jimmy's creative potential, and began hanging out with him at school, and being a buffer to the pranks Jimmy's classmates played on him. Soon, the two became best friends. Jimmy says he already has his dream job; making inventions.  
Jimmy is 5 feet 6 inches tall with brown hair and green eyes. His favourite outfit is a white t-shirt with a blue logo, black pants, a blue hoodie, and a blue beanie hat with a circuit board pattern. He wears a blue USB drive on a shoelace around his neck. He also carries a silver metal backback everywhere, which usually contains an arsenal of technology and gadgets.  
Jimmy's fatal food weakness is Blue Devil energy drink.

Cheryl Beckett:  
Susie's best friend. Cheryl's family moved to Calvin and Susie's hometown, where Susie met Cheryl on a summer camp. Cheryl helped Susie come out of her shell and be more sociable with people. In turn, Susie helped Cheryl cope with the trauma of a past relationship gone wrong. By the end of the summer camp, the two girls were inseparable.  
Cheryl is the most "popular" out of the four friends, and she is usually the one who invites Calvin, Susie and Jimmy to events and parties. She has a crush on Jimmy Sauchak. Cheryl aspires to be an actress.  
Cheryl is 5 feet 3 inches tall, with red hair and brown eyes. Her favourite outfit is a plain white shirt, black mid-length skirt, black high-tops, and a red necklace.  
Cheryl's fatal food weakness is red wine.

Calvin's Motorcycle:  
Calvin's bike is a 2011 Harley-Davidson V-Rod chopper.  
Calvin has considerably upgraded the bike's power and performance.  
Engine Capacity: 1250cc  
Horsepower: 240  
Torque: 300Nm at 6000rpm  
Top (sane) Speed: 130kph  
Top (insane) Speed: 175kph

Jimmy's Hover Car:  
The hover car is a highly modified 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 convertible.  
Jimmy has replaced the car's internal combustion engine with a fusion reactor propulsion system. The wheels have been replaced with geomagnetic hover nodes. The Camaro's modifications are all of Jimmy's own design.  
Engine Capacity: Unknown  
Horsepower: 1000+  
Torque: 1200+  
Top (sane) Speed: 250kph  
Top (insane) Speed: 340kph 


	16. Chapter 15: Sickness, Shit and Saltwater

**Chapter 15: Sickness, Shit and Saltwater**

Friday night finally arrived, and Calvin crashed facedown on his bed after getting home from school. Ratford had been particularly horrible that week, conducting random searches and sending nearly half the school's population into detention for breaking stupid, obscure rules. Calvin had suffered through a three-hour lecture about the 'importance of respecting authority' that Wednesday. To make matters worse, Susie had been absent for three days. She'd sent a text explaining that she was sick, but after that, there had been nothing.

"Bad day, huh?" Hobbes piped up from where he sat on the windowsill.  
Calvin rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. "I never thought I'd hate someone more than I hate Moe."  
Hobbes' eyes widened. "Holy shit. Ratford again?"  
"She's taking over the entire school and forcing everyone to follow her stupid rules," Calvin scowled. "I was wrong about her. She doesn't have a stick up her ass; she IS the stick that would go up someone's ass."  
Hobbes imagined a plate of tuna and popped a piece in his mouth. "Just remember, the prom is coming up soon."

Calvin nodded. "I never thought I'd admit it, but I'm actually happy to be going with Susie."  
Hobbes looked around. "Where is she anyway?"  
"She's sick." Calvin tossed a ball in the air. "I sent her some food though."  
Hobbes stepped off the windowsill and faced Calvin. "Go see her. You two have stuff to talk about, about the prom. And I'm guessing after she's been cooped up in her house for three days, she'll want to see you."  
Calvin stood up and gave himself a small spritz of cologne. "You're right buddy."  
"I know I am," Hobbes smirked. "Now go over there and talk to her."

 _Song: The Marphoi Project – "Lazy Heart" (Enzalla Remix)_  
Calvin knocked on the Derkins' front door. Mrs. Derkins answered, but Calvin's eyes widened at her reaction. The formidable lady he'd come to know was gone. In her place stood Mrs. Derkins. She was in the process of wiping her eyes. "Hello Calvin," she said sadly. "Susie is upstairs."  
"Is everything okay?" Calvin asked, concern in his voice. Mrs. Derkins shook her head and silently ushered Calvin inside. Calvin felt a sense of dread build in his chest as he ran up the stairs two at a time.

Calvin practically burst through Susie's door. "Susie!" he called.  
Across the room, Susie sat up in bed with a look of surprise.  
Calvin sighed loudly in relief. "You're okay."  
"Not really," Susie replied quietly. Calvin stepped forward. "What's wrong?"  
Susie held Mr. Bun close to her chest. "My grandpa died," she said brokenly. Calvin shook his head. Everyone in town knew about Gareth Derkins, Susie's grandfather. He was something of a town hero when he was the town judge. In the 1960s, Gareth Derkins had wrangled a piece of lawmaking that stopped a multi-million dollar firm from bulldozing the entire town to make way for a prison. He had won the legal case and saved the town, all while raising a family. Calvin had never personally met Gareth, but he respected him all the same.

Calvin stepped close to Susie and sat on the bed. In spite of her cold, Susie leaned into Calvin's chest. Calvin held Susie close as she cried softly.  
"Anything I can do?" Calvin asked gently.  
Susie looked up and squeezed Calvin's hand. "Can you stay with me?" she sniffed. "Just for tonight?"  
Calvin kissed the top of Susie's head. "Of course."  
Through the window, Hobbes watched the two teenagers and curled up with a smile on his face.

The next morning, Calvin picked himself up off Susie's floor. He'd migrated there after realizing it might be bad if Mrs. Derkins had come into Susie's room and seen the two teens sleeping next to each other.  
Up on her bed, Susie stirred and lightly coughed. Calvin sat up and squeezed Susie's hand as she woke up slowly.  
"Can we get out of here today?" Susie asked as she blinked sleep out of her eyes.  
Calvin pulled on his tiger-patched jacket. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"  
Susie whispered in Calvin's ear, and he nodded.

Five minutes later, Susie and Calvin snuck out of the house, skirting past Susie's parents. When they were in Calvin's driveway, Calvin wheeled his bike out of the garage and beckoned to Susie. She hopped on, and Calvin started the engine. The chopper rumbled to life under the two teenagers, and Calvin pulled out onto the road, following Susie's directions in his ear. Calvin leaned left at a set of traffic lights and Susie followed suit. The big bike growled and surged forward, and Susie tightened her grip around Calvin's waist. Calvin opened the throttle on the ramp leading onto the highway, and the chopper roared ahead.

Calvin and Susie zoomed along the coast highway, the morning sun shining bright overhead. The waves crashed against the concrete sides of the highway and flying droplets of water sparkled like glass in the sunlight. Susie leaned into Calvin's back, pressing her cheek against his battered leather jacket. She was just about to let her eyes close, when a road sign flashed past. Susie shot upright and tapped Calvin on the shoulder, pointing towards an off-ramp. Calvin leaned over to the right and the chopper roared up the ramp, doing at least ninety. Calvin leaned on the brakes and the bike drastically slowed down to a sane speed.

After a few minutes following the winding back roads, Calvin and Susie cruised through a coastal town so small it barely qualified as a town. A cluster of shops occupied the main street, selling various beach items and food. A small cinema stood on one street corner, advertising the latest Jackson Hunt film, _Cold Rage_. Calvin swerved the chopper out of the way of a large grey Bentley Continental, getting an angry honk from the elderly driver. Calvin shook his head and drove on, following Susie's pointed finger.

 _Song: Ryan Sheridan – "Home"_  
A while later, Calvin stopped the chopper outside a tiny cottage on the beach. Susie dismounted the bike and disappeared around behind the house. She emerged a second later, clutching a key in her hand. Susie unlocked the cottage door as Calvin shut off his bike's engine.  
Walking inside the tiny beach house was like stepping into the past. Everywhere, trinkets sat on shelves and framed paintings hung on walls. There was a certain scent in the air, like old books and cinnamon. Susie sat down in a huge, soft armchair and took a deep breath as Calvin sat in another chair beside her.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Susie sighed. "I haven't been back in a while."  
Calvin looked around at the fishing bric-a-brac hanging from the ceiling. "What is this place anyway?"  
"This is my grandpa's fishing cottage," Susie replied. "My family used to come here almost every summer, before Grandpa got sick."  
Calvin looked around the room, and all the memories that must have happened in it. Susie brought him back to the present with a small sob.

"What are we even doing, Calvin?" she asked, shoulders shaking.  
Calvin reached over and took Susie's hand. "You're crying and leaking everywhere," he tried to joke.  
"You jerk," Susie cracked a small smile and looked up at the ceiling. "I mean, what happens now? We go to the prom, we graduate, and then what?" She looked back at Calvin. "I've tried so hard to be the perfect student all my life, and what if that doesn't even matter when I leave school?"  
Calvin shrugged. "Look at me; I don't try to be the perfect anything, but somehow or other, it all works out for me. I've got my art, I've got Hobbes, and I've got you."

Calvin stood up and pulled Susie into a hug. Susie looked up and kissed Calvin softly, still feeling slow tears fall down her cheeks. Calvin gently broke the kiss and looked down at Susie.  
"You know," he began. "Someone once told me that life never throws anything at you that you can't handle. I mean, life threw _you_ at me when we were kids, and if we could handle our crazy, six-year-old selves, we can handle anything."  
Calvin smirked. "I mean, at times it was a struggle for me to deal with you, but somehow I pulled through."  
At this, Susie genuinely laughed. "I'm not even gonna comment on that!"  
Calvin grinned. "Probably a good idea." He crossed to the cottage's kitchen and pulled two bottles of Nuka-Cola from his bag. "Whatever happens, I'm sure we'll be okay. Now c'mere and take one of these; I can't drink all this Nuka by myself."

Calvin and Susie went out to the cottage's front porch and sat in the rickety bench seat together, watching the neighbors' kids splash around on the beach. Susie looked over at Calvin, watching that familiar smirk play across his lips, his blond hair glowing gold in the sun. She smiled to herself. _Thanks, Calvin_ , she thought, taking a sip of her drink.

 _Song: Dual Core – "All the Things"_  
Meanwhile, back in town, Moe sat in his living room fuming. An open bottle of scotch sat on the floor beside him, and his phone was up to his ear.  
"Yeah, Andy, I need every spare gallon you got in that spreader on your farm."  
A moment passed, and Moe's face reddened. "YES, all of it, you dummy! If this is gonna work, we need to go big!"  
As he listened to Andy on the other end of the line, Moe's scowl deepened. "Fine, you pussy! I'll just take the goddamn machine myself!"  
Moe slammed his finger on the _end call_ button and heaved himself off the floor. He staggered through his house to the garage and pressed the button on the wall to open the door.

The roller door rose up, letting the sunlight into the garage to shine on Moe's pristine Ford. Moe stomped up the stepladder next to his truck and climbed into the cab somewhat unsteadily. The big truck growled to life and rolled out of the garage, before Moe stomped his foot to the floor. The twin exhaust stacks billowed black smoke and the truck's front wheels left the ground for a second as the vehicle surged forward in the direction of Andy Miller's farm. At the wheel, Moe's face cracked into a wide grin. _Twinkie's never gonna see this coming in a million years._

Moe's truck roared through an intersection, leaving a large cloud of black smoke in its wake. At the red light, Jimmy's eyes followed the path of the lifted Ford. Sitting in the shotgun seat of the hover Camaro, Cheryl turned to Jimmy. "That was Moe!"  
Jimmy nodded. "That's too fast to be legal. We should see what he's up to. Cheryl, take the wheel."  
Jimmy hopped into the Camaro's back seat and opened his laptop. Cheryl buckled her seatbelt and hit the accelerator.  
The Camaro shot off the mark and turned a hard right through the traffic lights, following Moe's F-350. Cheryl kept the distance wide, while Jimmy frantically typed on his computer. Across town, a small drone lifted off the roof of Jimmy's house and zipped off towards its master.

Soon after, Moe drove off the main road towards the rural outskirts of town. The lifted truck rolled through the open gate of Miller Farm, while Cheryl parked the Camaro in a small clearing between rows of corn. Jimmy's fingers flew over his laptop's keys, and his tiny drone soared overhead, following Moe with a camera.  
"What are you up to?" Jimmy whispered to himself. On the drone's camera, Moe followed Andy out behind the farmhouse, where a piece of farm equipment waited in a patch of dirt. A minute later, Moe returned to his truck and reversed in front of the other machine. Andy expertly hitched the farm equipment to the back of Moe's Ford, and Moe drove away.

The hovering drone sent a stream of data to Jimmy's phone as it watched Moe return to the highway. Jimmy read the text on the screen, and passed the phone to Cheryl. "What does Moe need this for? He doesn't live on a farm."  
Cheryl read the data on the phone, and her eyes widened in comprehension. "Either Moe is the new school gardener, or he's planning something for Calvin and Susie."  
Cheryl put the Camaro in gear and they started racing back towards town.

In his truck, Moe blasted Marilyn Manson on the radio as he roared along the highway. Soon, he turned off the road into the suburbs, slowing down to just over 60 miles an hour.  
Meanwhile, a block back down the road, Jimmy prepared the trap he'd set up. "This is an Abbey AP 110 mechanical fertilizer spreader," he read off the data scrolling down his screen. "All the functions are controlled from an onboard computer…" with a few deft keystrokes, a window popped up on his laptop displaying rows of digital readouts, buttons and dials on a user interface.  
Jimmy smirked at the rear end of the spreader attached to Moe's truck. "Have fun."  
Jimmy pressed a key, and his plan came into spectacular fruition.

Moe's truck lurched as the spreader's gears activated and the wheels of the farm machine started propelling the mechanisms. A second later, a shower of fertilizer started spraying from the spreader, coating everything in a thick layer of rancid, sloppy manure. The truck slowed down, as Moe realized the spreader was working, but Jimmy pressed a final key, and all hell broke loose.  
At Jimmy's override command, Moe's truck's engine roared and the mountain of metal shot forward, causing the spreader to hurl almost twice as much fertilizer in every direction.

Jimmy typed in another command with an evil grin. Moe's truck picked up even more speed and blasted past a cop car, doing 80 in a 30 zone; not to mention coating the cop car in a layer of fertilizer. Cheryl laughed and turned the Camaro down a side street as the cop activated his lights and fishtailed out onto the road after the speeding truck. For his part, Jimmy clenched his fist in quiet celebration before digging out his phone and writing a text to Calvin.

 _Author's Notes:  
What could Moe have been planning with all that fertilizer? Oh well, I guess we'll never know.  
How many of you saw the references I scattered through this chapter?  
In case you didn't see them, I put in a bunch of references to Castle, and some references to Watch Dogs, and one very obvious reference to Fallout.  
Jackson Hunt is the name of Castle's dad.  
The quote about life never giving us anything we can't handle was told to Kate Beckett by her mother.  
Jimmy overrode Moe's engine, a la Watch Dogs.  
And i'm not even going to point out the most obvious reference of the lot.  
Next chapter is coming soon, so watch out for it.  
I'd also appreciate if you take the time to write a short review to give me some feedback. Even a sentence or two does help.  
Thanks!  
-the Seacopath_


	17. Chapter 16: Scary Sexy Shopping Spree

**Chapter 16: Scary Sexy Shopping Spree**

 _Three weeks till prom_

 _Song: Zella Day – "Mustang Kids" ft. Baby E  
_ On Tuesday afternoon as school emptied out, Calvin left the building with Susie, Jimmy and Cheryl. Suddenly, Calvin stopped short as they entered the parking lot. Calvin's parents were in the parking lot, as well as Susie's parents. Susie's dad was currently helping Calvin's dad winch Calvin's motorcycle onto the trailer attached to his truck, while both mothers sat in the Derkins' SUV.  
"What the heck is this?" Calvin exclaimed.  
"We're going shopping!" Mrs. Derkins called. Cheryl and Jimmy took their opportunity to make a quick exit before their parents arrived too.

Half an hour later, Calvin, Susie and their mothers pulled into the parking lot of East Cityville Mall. Even though Calvin hated clothes shopping, even he had to admit that the mall was amazing. The place boasted over a thousand shops, and even had an amusement park, waterpark, and a paintball arena. Calvin opened the SUV door for Susie and bowed with an exaggerated flourish. Calvin's mom rolled her eyes, and lightly dragged her son along.  
Inside the mall, Calvin and Susie's eyes widened at the newest exhibit in the mall's foyer. The mall's owner Mr. Magorium was always inventing some crazy contraption to put around the mall, mostly robotic animals. Today, a large silver pillar stretched from the floor to the ceiling, but what was on the pillar took everyone's breath away.

Hanging on the pillar in the foyer was an _enormous_ animatronic _dragon_. If he didn't know better, Calvin would have swore the magnificent beast was real. Its tail slowly swished through the air as it surveyed the crowd. As Calvin and Susie watched, the dragon shook its horned head and let out a blast of flame from its nostrils, as if it had just sneezed. Calvin gasped. "That thing has a flamethrower in it! I've wanted one forever!"  
"Beautiful, isn't she?" came a voice. Calvin and Susie turned to see Mr. Magorium relaxing on a bench. The grey-haired man winked and raised a mug of coffee. "I suggest you follow your parents."  
Calvin and Susie gave the gorgeous green dragon another long look of wonder before running off to join their parents. Behind them, Mr. Magorium looked up at the dragon, and the two shared a wink.

Calvin caught up with his mother outside Bespoke Tailors, a store specializing in formal wear, while Susie met up with her mom inside another store; Madame Malkin's. Calvin sat down on a stool while the attendant strolled over to him. "Good afternoon sir, Caelan Bespoke at your service," the man smiled, his Irish accent lifting his words. "What brings you here today?"  
Calvin's mom stepped in. "He's looking for a prom tuxedo."  
Bespoke nodded. "I know just the thing, but in the meantime, give us a minute." With that, he steered Calvin into the back of the store and swished a curtain shut.

Meanwhile, in Madame Malkin's, Susie looked around as a sharp-eyed, grey-haired woman approached; presumably Madame Malkin herself. "Good afternoon, I'm Melena Malkin" she nodded. "I presume you're here for a prom dress?"  
Susie nodded. Madame Malkin clicked her fingers. "Right, we have work to do. Excuse us please," she nodded to Mrs. Derkins. Susie disappeared behind an identical curtain at the back of the little shop.

"Right," Bespoke clapped his hands together. "What are you looking for today?"  
"I don't know," Calvin shrugged. I'm not much of a suit and tie person."  
Bespoke arched an eyebrow. "I can see that. So we'll need something that's formal, but casual at the same time. I'd recommend a black, open suit jacket with a red shirt underneath."  
"No way!" Calvin gasped. "The guy wearing the red shirt never survives!"

The tailor gave Calvin a confused look, and Calvin raised _his_ eyebrow. "Seriously? You've never seen _Star Trek_?"  
Bespoke smirked. "Aye, I have, but I'd say it's highly unlikely that anyone will die at a prom."  
Calvin shrugged. "Pays to be prepared." His response was met with a mildly irritated huff from the tailor. "In that case, I think we can't go wrong with more black."  
Calvin nodded, and Bespoke began his work.

Meanwhile, in Madame Malkin's, Susie held her arms above her head as Malkin stretched a thin tape measure around her body. Madame Malkin nodded. "I think we can very easily find something spectacular for you. How does a strapless, knee-length dress sound? Shorter dresses are in fashion this year." Malkin pointed to a dress on a mannequin. Susie shook her head. "It isn't me; I don't want to show the entire school my legs. Not to mention, I don't want to risk a windy night slip-up, if you know what I mean."

Madame Malkin nodded, and waved her hand at the mannequin. Susie's eyes widened as the shop dummy retreated behind a curtain, seemingly by itself. Next second, her jaw dropped as another mannequin emerged, wearing an entirely different dress. Malkin saw Susie's reaction and smiled. "Yes, I think something like this will do quite nicely."

 _Song: Marylin Manson – "Killing Strangers"_  
Meanwhile, at the police station across town, Moe was still fuming at the colossal failure of the fertilizer idea. When the cop had finally caught up to him, his truck had stopped on a dime, and the engine had cut out. The officer had nearly pissed himself laughing as he watched Moe fruitlessly try to restart the truck while he wrote the ticket.  
Moe shook himself out of his memories and ground a cigarette butt under his foot. He stalked back to his Ford and peeled out of the station parking lot, still dragging the spreader behind him. High in the sky, a drone sent footage to Jimmy's computer, and he smirked as the scanner read off the fine Moe had had to pay.

As he drove along, Moe ground his teeth as he tried to come up with a new plan to get rid of Calvin. A second later, Moe looked down as a crackling buzzing sound grew in his ears. On the passenger seat beside him sat a pistol. Moe slammed on the brakes and pulled the truck over. He reached over to the gun and picked it up. As the firearm touched Moe's hand, the edges flickered, and for a split second, the pistol glowed red and fractured into pieces. Moe jumped in shock and dropped the gun, and it returned to a dead lump of black metal that looked like a Glock. Moe stomped on the gas pedal, and his truck roared back onto the highway towards Andy's farm.

"What the hell is that?" Andy exclaimed as Moe climbed down from his Ford's cab, holding the gun.  
"It's a gun, genius," Moe grunted. "I found it on my shotgun seat on my way back from the pig-pen.  
"I mean," Andy rolled his eyes. "Why's it red and glowing like that?"

Moe shrugged. "Hell if I know, but I wanna see what it does." With that, Moe squeezed the trigger.  
The red and black Glock went off with a deafening _crack_ , and Moe was nearly thrown off his feet. Across the farm's yard, a hay bale was reduced to shreds of straw in a colossal red explosion.

"Holy shit!" Moe yelled. "This is the coolest fuckin' thing ever!" As Moe pumped his fist in the air, the pistol disappeared into thin air.

Moe looked at his empty hands in confusion. "Where the hell is my gun?" he snapped, advancing on Andy. Andy backed off and held up his hands. "Don't look at me! I wasn't anywhere near you!"  
"Don't lie to me!" Moe roared, but stopped as the gun reappeared in his hand. This time, the pistol resembled an old western revolver. Andy forgot his fear for a moment and stepped close. "Moe, try to pass me the gun," he instructed.

Moe raised an eyebrow, but reached out. As soon as Andy's hand touched the revolver, the gun vanished again.  
"Moe," Andy began slowly. "You're not gonna believe this, but I think you're a superhero."  
Moe shook his head. "I ain't a hero. Superheroes are all wimps. I wanna be a super villain."  
Andy shrugged, not wanting to contradict the larger boy. "You're right Moe. Superheroes don't use guns anyway." Just then, an idea pushed its way through Moe's head. "Don't you got a shooting range around here?" he grinned.

 _Author's Notes:  
Well, hope no one saw that coming either.  
Next chapter will be out in a few days, and I'm also putting out another Last Firefly chapter, to keep people happy.  
-the Seacopath_


	18. Chapter 17: New Blood, Old Power

**Chapter 17: New Blood, Old Power**

 _Author's Notes:  
So, since people were asking me about what happened in Chapter 16, I thought I should explain.  
The tailor shops were references to two other series that I enjoy. Bespoke Tailors is from the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and Madame Malkin's is from the Harry Potter series.  
Unlike their official canon, these shops are not owned by the characters in the series, but by their relatives instead; Ghastly Bespoke's cousin Caelan, and Madame Malkin's sister Melena._

 _And now to address the firepowered elephant in the room. Moe has just discovered that he can use his imagination like Calvin, but only to a limited extent.  
I was inspired by Magneto for this little twist. In the beginning, before Magneto met Charles Xavier, he could only use his powers through his hatred and anger. Moe is at this same stage. Moe can only imagine weapons or other forms of offense, and can only do it when he is angry. What could this mean for Calvin and his friends, I wonder?_

 _Song: Twisted Sister – "We're Not Gonna Take It"_  
"YEAH!" Moe whooped as the glowing gun in his hands reduced yet another haystack to dust. "This is so fuckin' cool!"  
Beside Moe, Andy, Steve and Mick all watched in awe. Steve nudged Andy as Moe fired off a shot into the sky. "This is creepy."  
Andy nodded. "Just don't let Moe hear you saying that." Just then, all three boys jumped as an absolutely _enormous_ gun materialized in Moe's hands. Moe let out a wild yell and shot round after round into the air. The red and black machine gun roared, explosions rocked the sky, and the others cowered behind the single remaining haystack. After a second, the shooting stopped, and Moe slumped to his knees. All the guns and explosions had vanished, and Moe was pale and shaking. Andy and the others rushed forward and put Moe's arms over their shoulders, taking him inside the farmhouse.

High above, a tiny drone watched the whole scene play out to Jimmy. As Moe's three thugs brought him inside the farmhouse, Jimmy shakily stood up from his chair and phoned Calvin. "Calvin, we have a big problem."  
Half an hour later, Calvin's chopper roared up in front of the Sauchak house. Jimmy barely made it to the front door before it opened and Calvin came barging through it. "What the heck do you mean Moe can make guns appear out of thin air?"  
"Moe can make guns appear out of thin air," Jimmy repeated, confused.  
"I mean, HOW?" Calvin exclaimed.

Jimmy returned to his desk and flipped open a laptop. "I think Moe can use his imagination like you."  
"How is that possible?" Calvin gasped. "I only realized what I could do after I got lost in the woods for a month!"  
"Your guess is as good as mine," Jimmy shook his head. "But I've noticed that he seems to be limited. What can you make with your imagination?"  
Calvin shrugged. "If I can picture it in my head, I can make pretty much anything."

Jimmy scribbled something down on a notepad. "That means I'm right. From what I've seen, Moe can only imagine guns and weapons."  
"Oh, perfect," Calvin rolled his eyes. "Why couldn't he imagine floods of Gummi bears?"  
Jimmy tilted his head. "That could be just as dangerous. In the right amounts, a flood of Gummi bears could destroy-"  
"It was a rhetorical question," Calvin interrupted Jimmy quickly.

Some time later, Calvin's chopper screeched to a halt underneath the tree house's elevator. Calvin entered the code, and the elevator descended to the forest floor. Calvin rolled his bike onto the elevator platform, and hit the button to activate the lift. As the platform locked into place inside the tree house, Hobbes looked up from his nap. Calvin crossed the room to the rows of cupboards and pulled out a bottle of rum that he'd saved from Mike Sullivan's party.  
Hobbes' ears pricked up. "What happened?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Calvin stared into the bottle of rum as a glass appeared in his hand. suddenly, Calvin bared his teeth and hurled the glass across the room. Hobbes leapt up and raised the fur on his back as glass shards flew everywhere.

Calvin raised the bottle to his lips and took a swig. Hobbes' eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath.  
Calvin spit out the rum and coughed as Hobbes let loose a roar, and morphed into his wild tiger form. The enormous jungle cat leapt down from his tiger bed, shaking the tree house floor, and stalked forward towards Calvin's chair. Calvin swallowed as Hobbes advanced on him, green eyes glowing and teeth bared. When Hobbes spoke, his voice came out a low growl. " _What. Happened."_

Calvin held up his hands. "Easy, Hobbes. It's not what you think."  
"I think you'd better start talking," the tiger rumbled, sitting back and looking at Calvin expectantly. "Did you and Susie have a fight?"  
Calvin shook his head. "Worse. As if the year wasn't bad enough with Ratford taking over the school, I found out Moe can use his imagination."  
Hobbes' jaw dropped, and he morphed back into his anthropomorphic state. "What do you mean _Moe_ can use his imagination?" he asked in shock.  
Calvin took another drink. "I mean he can create things with his imagination like I can."

Hobbes' mouth opened and closed. "That's…you know what, I got nothing." He began pacing. "This is about as bad as it could possibly be, with another shitload of 'bad' on top of it."  
"You think I don't know that?" Calvin exclaimed. "Moe makes _guns_ with his imagination, for crying out-" Calvin paused, and suddenly a grin spread across his face.  
Hobbes turned and waved a hand in front of Calvin's face. "Hello? What do you have to be smiling about?"  
Calvin's grin widened. "I just realized we still have an advantage. Moe still has no idea what I can do, and now I bet he can see you."

Hobbes froze for a moment as the implications of what Calvin said sunk in. A second later, he grinned widely, showing _all_ of his gleaming, razor-sharp teeth. "Oh, this should be interesting. I can finally get payback for that time Moe stole me and tossed me on the school's roof."  
Calvin nodded. "Let's wait a while. If we show our hand too soon, Moe will know, and he'll hit us with everything he's got."  
Hobbes jerked his head in the direction of the whiteboard. "You get planning, and I'll call the others."

 _Song: Ram Jam – "Black Betty"_  
Half an hour later, the four friends and Hobbes gathered around the whiteboard as Calvin outlined his new plan.  
"This seems risky," Cheryl mused. "Not to mention, it sounds impossible. You want us to what?"  
Calvin cleared his throat. "I want to train all of you to use your imaginations."  
Jimmy raised his hand. "Not to be pessimistic, but how are we supposed to do that? Do we have to live in the woods for a month, too?"  
Calvin smirked. "No. Honestly, I don't know what will trigger the power for all of you. Mine was triggered by a need to survive, and I'm pretty sure Moe's hate for me unlocked his imagination."

"So, what should we do?" Susie asked. Calvin reached into a closet and brought out a cloth bag. "I figure we should go with trial and error," he shrugged. With that, Calvin reached into the bag and brought out a tennis ball. "Everyone, try to imagine everything you can about this ball; the way it looks, smells, the way it feels in your hand, or the way it sounds when it bounces off the floor. Even imagine how the ball might taste."  
"And then?" Cheryl prompted. Calvin hid the tennis ball behind his back. "Then imagine holding the ball in your hand like I was."

Susie, Jimmy and Cheryl all closed their eyes and concentrated. For several minutes, nothing happened. Suddenly, Hobbes' ears pricked up, and the fur on the back of his neck stood up. Above Cheryl's outstretched hand, the air was rippling, and a slight green haze could be seen. Cheryl opened her eyes and gasped, and the ripple vanished. Calvin's mouth dropped open. "That was amazing."  
Cheryl's face fell. "I couldn't even imagine a ball. How is that amazing?"  
Calvin stood in front of his friend. "Because the first time _I_ tried, it took me an hour to do what you did in three minutes."  
Cheryl beamed.

Jimmy waved Calvin over. "Does this count?" In Jimmy's palm sat a tiny version of the tennis ball, no bigger than a marble. Calvin smirked and patted his friend on the shoulder. "That's better than what I did. Nice work, Sauchak."  
Jimmy nodded and quietly accepted the praise. Next, Calvin walked over to Susie. She looked up sadly. "Nothing happened at all," she sighed. Calvin gave Susie a small kiss on her cheek. "Keep working at it," he smiled. "Besides, the Susie I know would never give up."  
Susie nodded, and furrowed her brow in concentration.

After two hours, everyone had made varying levels of progress. Cheryl had conjured a tennis ball, but the moment she stopped concentrating, it had vanished. Susie had made a ball in the end, but it was made of hard, brittle plastic, and shattered when she tried to bounce it. However, Jimmy had surprised everyone. His example was flawless; it was indistinguishable from a factory-made ball, and it even had that 'new-tennis-ball' smell. Calvin gave Jimmy an entire case of cider for his efforts, and the normally reserved genius beamed with pride.  
Calvin eventually called a stop to the lesson after Susie fell over from exhaustion.

Hobbes opened the fridge and pulled out a leftover pizza, passing slices out to the others. "Eat," the tiger said pointedly. "You need to get your strength back."  
Everyone slowly polished off the food, sitting on the floor. After he finished his slice, Calvin cleared his throat. "I think I've figured out some key points here," he began.  
"Jimmy, I'm guessing you used your logical mind to exactly imagine what you needed. You already knew everything about that tennis ball, from the measurements, to the weight, and even how much it would bounce from any height."  
Jimmy nodded. "I knew what I needed, and I made it."

Calvin turned. "Cheryl," he continued. "From what I saw, you were focused more in the appearance of the ball, and you forgot to focus on making it fully solid. Next time you make something, try and pass it to me without losing it."  
Cheryl nodded and sipped her drink as Calvin turned to Susie.  
"That was a good effort, but I think you did much the same thing as Cheryl. You focused too much on what the ball would look like, and not enough on the ball as a whole."  
Susie accepted the feedback graciously. "So what now? Should we go home? It's half past nine."  
"Nah, we can just crash here," Calvin smirked, sitting in his armchair, "For now, let's just lay here feeling really smug, cause we're about to finally deal with every jerk in our lives. Tomorrow, I'll start you guys out on a bit harder stuff."  
Soon, the lights in the tree house went out, and sleep came to the woods.

 _The next morning…_

 _Song: Fat Freddy's Drop – "Roady"  
_ Calvin rolled out of his bed in the tree house and blinked sleep out of his eyes. He crossed the room to the kitchenette, where a small stack of pancakes sat on the counter. Calvin dug into his plate and looked around the room. The others were nowhere to be seen. Calvin put his plate down and stuck his head out the window. Down on the forest floor, Susie, Jimmy and Cheryl sat in a circle on some wooden chairs. Calvin grabbed his food and activated the bike elevator, descending to the dirt with a small _thump_.  
"Why didn't you guys wake me?" he yawned widely.  
At Calvin's words, Cheryl looked up. "We tried. You're the heaviest sleeper ever."  
"It's true," Susie laughed. "Calvin could sleep through a tornado."  
"Speaking of which," Calvin smirked.

As Calvin spoke, dust started swirling at the edge of the clearing, and formed into a miniature funnel cloud. Susie, Jimmy and Cheryl looked on in shock as the tiny tornado wove its way across the forest floor towards them. Calvin held his plate out, and the twister sucked it up. Calvin gestured to the others, and Susie slowly stood up. Susie stepped closer to the miniature tornado and deposited her plate too. Jimmy and Cheryl followed suit, and a second later, the tornado and the dishes in it were sucked up through the tree house's kitchen window.  
"There," Calvin grinned. "Quicker and easier than climbing back up there ourselves."  
Calvin reached behind his back and brought out a bag of tennis balls. "Now, let's get started."

 _Author's Notes:  
Now that Moe can use his imagination, Calvin is trying to level the playing field. I sense trouble is brewing…  
Next chapter will be ready in a few days  
Thanks for being patient,  
-the Seacopath_


	19. Chapter 18: D, D, and D

**Chapter 18: Drudgery, Drugs and Drunkenness**

 _A week and a half until prom_

 _Song: AC/DC – "Big Balls"_  
The school bell rang and Calvin sat down at his desk in Mr. Maxwell's class. The teacher got up from behind his Roman-head desk and stepped over to the whiteboard. "Okay, everyone, I know it's almost the prom, so I thought we'd have a discussion about dances through history."  
Mr. Maxwell switched on the overhead projector. An image of a crowded 18th-century French ballroom filled the screen. In the painting, the partygoers were dressed in luxurious finery, and the dance looked like a slow waltz. Just then, someone's phone started ringing, and the classroom was filled with Angus Young's dulcet tones.

 _"_ _I've got big balls!  
I've got big balls!  
They're such big balls  
And they're dirty big balls!_

 _He's got big balls  
and SHE'S got big balls!  
AND WE'VE GOT THE BIGGEST  
BALLS OF THEM ALL!"_

To his credit, Mr. Maxwell laughed heartily with the rest of the class. "That was either the best or worst timing I've seen all week!"  
At the back of the class, Jimmy grinned and closed his laptop, enjoying the satisfaction of a successful hack.

During recess, Calvin, Susie and Cheryl relaxed on the bench under the school's big oak tree. Jimmy was nowhere to be found.  
Cheryl stood under the tree in a model-like pose, while Calvin furiously drew in his sketchbook. Calvin narrowed his eyes and allowed his imagination to bubble up to the surface. A fountain of colors spilled from the pen onto the paper as Calvin sketched. After a minute, Calvin passed the sketch to Cheryl, and her eyes widened. "Are you sure this isn't a photo?" the redhead gasped. Calvin grinned at the praise. A few minutes later, the bell rang, and the students began milling back inside.

 _Song: Boy Epic – "Bonnie"  
Spaceman Spiff took a deep breath from his oxygen tank and prepared to enter the forbidden Zorgon temple. Grotesque faces carved into the stone whispered warnings to Spiff, telling him to leave this place. Spiff paid them no mind. The golden idol of the Zorgon king called to Spaceman Spiff much louder than some dumb stone carvings. Spiff pushed open the heavy stone door and stepped inside. _

_Dust clouds swirled as the temple accepted its first visitor in thousands of years. Spaceman Spiff clicked a button on his trusty laser gun's handle, and the gun glowed blue with crackling energy. Spiff smirked._ "That upgrade has really paid off _,_ " _he thought to himself. Spiff continued into the ancient temple's depths, marking his passage with luminous green paint arrows. After several twists, turns and failed traps, Spiff entered a huge circular room draped in vines. In the center of the room, a huge stone box rested on a pedestal, and on top of the box, a large lump of gold glinted in the light from a hole in the roof. Spaceman Spiff approached the huge box slowly, scanning the floor and the walls for traps. Spiff skirted several pressure plates and hopped over a laser tripwire that remained operational, even after all these years. As Spiff tiptoed his way through the Zorgon burial chamber, the idol of the king sang its golden song._

 _Spiff finally ascended the steps to the Zorgon king's sarcophagus, where the idol sat in the middle of a stone carving of the alien king. Spiff slowly stretched out his hand and curled his gloved fingers around the miniature alien statue.  
As soon as the intergalactic explorer grabbed the idol, the burial chamber started rumbling. Spiff's eyes widened behind his visor as he realized his mistake. The coffin shook, and Spiff was thrown across the room as it exploded to reveal a monster._

In the middle of the hall, Ratford strode towards Calvin, practically breathing steam from her nostrils. Calvin blanched, and got ready to run for his life.

 _The mummified Zorgon king stood up on shaking legs, and its eyeless face whipped around to fixate on Spaceman Spiff. The explorer froze in place, as the alien's forked tongue tasted the air. With a roar, the mummy king leaped forward. Spiff aimed and fired his laser gun. The bolt of blue energy tore through the mummy's bandages, but bounced off the Zorgon's armored skin. The undead alien roared in annoyance and swiped a claw at Spiff. The explorer leaped out of the way and kept firing._

"GET BACK HERE!" Ratford shouted as Calvin took off down the hallway. Calvin spun out of the way and slid under Ratford's arms as she made a wild grab. Calvin jumped to his feet and kept running as Ratford spectacularly face-planted.

 _The Zorgon king's leg broke the laser tripwire, and the burial chamber shook with the force of an earthquake. Both Spiff and the undead alien froze, until suddenly, the ceiling caved in right over the mummy's head. The avalanche of falling rocks crashed down on the Zorgon's head and broke the floor into pieces under its feet. With a terrified howl, the mummified Zorgon fell through the hole in the floor, along with Spaceman Spiff!_

 _Thinking quickly, Spiff began venting air from his suit's oxygen tanks. The planet's weak gravity was no match for the force of the compressed air, and Spiff shot upwards, out of the hole in the burial chamber floor, and through the destroyed ceiling. A second later, Spiff's tanks ran out of air, and he crashed down in the dirt, right next to his shiny red spacecraft. Spiff hauled himself over the edge of the spaceship and into the pilot's chair. Within seconds, the little spacecraft was soaring up through the poisonous atmosphere to the safety of space._

Calvin ducked into Mr. Maxwell's classroom and slammed the door behind him. At his desk, Mr. Maxwell looked up and raised an eyebrow at Calvin. Calvin shrugged. "Nothing to see here."  
Mr. Maxwell nodded in understanding as Calvin pressed himself against the door. A second after Ratford stalked past, Calvin opened his phone and slipped out of the classroom.  
Calvin ran down the halls to the school's technology room. Inside, Jimmy sat at a computer chair tinkering with a circuit board. "What is it, Calvin?" he asked without turning around.  
Calvin sat on the edge of a desk. "Do you have any idea what I've done?" he asked breathlessly. "Ratford's on the warpath with me for some reason! She practically tried to tackle me in the hall this morning!"

Jimmy swiveled in his chair. "Apparently Moe told Ratford that you have drugs."  
Calvin ground his teeth. "Fucking figures that Moe's behind this. What can we do?"  
Jimmy tilted his head, lost in thought. "What if we turned the tables? You could imagine some drugs in Moe's locker and tell a teacher about it."  
Calvin shook his head. "If I snitch, that makes me the lowest of the low. Not to mention, if I somehow know there's drugs in Moe's locker, that makes me look suspicious."  
Jimmy shrugged. "Just wait a little while then," he replied. "Prom is almost here, and then school is over."

 _Song: Desiigner – "Tiimmy Turner"_  
Calvin nodded and left, carrying his bag. As the tech room door closed, Calvin found himself being slammed against the wall. Steve and Mick each held one of Calvin's arms, while Moe stomped up with an evil grin on his face. Moe wrenched Calvin's bag out of his hand and placed a plastic bag into it. "You're goin' down, Twinkie," Moe leered, as Ratford rounded the corner. "That's a prime batch of party pills and meth you're sittin' on. Have fun in prison, Twinkie."  
"Good show, Mister Malone," Ratford sneered as she walked up. "Let's see what this delinquent has stashed on him."  
Moe passed Calvin's bag to Ratford. The principal turned the backpack upside down, and a shower of jellybeans fell out, followed by Calvin's school supplies.

Moe's jaw dropped. Ratford scowled and turned on Moe. "What is the meaning of this?"  
Moe stammered. "Th-there were drugs in there, I swear."  
Calvin smirked at Moe. "I think Moe here just got confused. He might have seen my bag of jellybeans, and thought they were drugs. I'm clean, and I'm happy to take a test to prove it."  
"You shut up," Ratford snapped. "You will be taking a test regardless."  
Calvin shrugged. "Sure thing. I'd also be a lot happier if Moe takes the test with me, just to make sure he's beyond reproach too."

Moe's heart stopped, but he was saved when Ratford scowled at Calvin. "As if Mister Malone would ever take drugs. He's a prime candidate for student of the year." She stuck her finger in Calvin's face. "Mister Watterson, I won't tolerate any more of these accusations against Mister Malone."  
"Then get his thugs off me," Calvin snapped, at the end of his temper.  
Moe nodded, and Steve and Mick released Calvin. Ratford grabbed Calvin's arm and marched him off to her office.

 _Half an hour later…_

The machine beeped and the indicator light glowed green. A flashing _'0.00%'_ filled the screen. Calvin smirked and swung his bag over his shoulder. "Pleasure _not_ doing business with you."  
"NOT so fast, young man!" Ratford shouted. "You may have fooled the scanner somehow, but you haven't fooled me. I'll be keeping an eye on you."  
Calvin felt something inside him snap, and he whirled back to Ratford.  
"I don't give a shit, you miserable old bag." Calvin hissed. "I'm done playing by your stupid arbitrary rules. Just run your little world for the next few weeks until school ends, and I'll be out of your hair for good."

Calvin paused with his hand on the doorframe, before speaking again. "Just remember, I don't start fights, but I finish them. If you try to make my life or my friends' lives miserable, you're going to think the guy who got a ton of bricks dropped on him was lucky."  
Calvin slipped through the office door and slammed it behind him. Outside the office, Calvin raised his hand, and Jimmy high-fived it.  
"Come on," Calvin smirked. "Let's go to the tree house and grab a beer."

In the forest, Calvin dismounted his chopper under the tree house's elevator. Jimmy jogged up, having left his Camaro outside the hedge line. Calvin rolled his bike onto the elevator and hit the button as Jimmy hopped on. The two boys and the motorcycle rose up into the tree house, and Calvin made a beeline for the fridge. Calvin tossed a case of beer to Jimmy and grabbed a bottle of Admiral Negan rum.  
Several shots and beers later, Calvin and Jimmy lounged in two of the tree house's large leather armchairs. Jimmy burped and raised his beer. "This is good," he slurred.  
"This's better," Calvin chuckled, downing his tumbler of rum. "So," he coughed. "You asked Cheryl yet?"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Asked her what?"  
"To the prom," Calvin prompted. Jimmy shrugged. "W-why would I? And-and why would you talk to me about it anyway, you hate that stuff."  
Calvin shrugged and poured out another shot. "Meh. Susie's sorta changed my mind."  
Jimmy chugged the rest of his beer before answering. "I dunno. I guess it just don't matter to me as much. It's…it's like me and her in bed."  
"Whoa, whoa," Calvin held up his hands. "I need another shot before I can hear this!"  
Jimmy pressed on anyway. "We never actually…"

Calvin froze mid-pour. "What?"  
Jimmy shrugged. "I just take care of her. S'better that way."  
"Okay, stop." Calvin shook his head. "Let's talk about something else."  
Jimmy nodded. "What did you do with the drugs Moe planted on you?"  
Calvin laughed evilly. "I turned them into jellybeans. Moe's gonna be so pissed off."  
"If I lost that many drugs in a split second, I'd be annoyed too," Jimmy nodded sagely.

Just then, someone knocked on the tree house's lower door. Calvin pushed himself out of his chair and looked out the window. Susie and Cheryl stood at the door, hands on their hips. Calvin grinned and took a breath.  
" _Drink all the booze! Hack all the things! Drink all the booze and hack all the things!_ " Calvin chanted. The two girls looked up in surprise, and promptly rolled their eyes.  
"Let us in, you morons!" Cheryl called up jokingly.  
Calvin burped and made an exaggerated bow. "Yes, m'lady!"  
The rest of the night passed in an enjoyable blur of music and conversation.

 _Author's Notes:  
Prom is coming up soon. If you like the story so far, please leave a short review.  
-the Seacopath_


	20. Chapter 19: Four AM

**Chapter 19: Four AM**

 _Author's Notes:  
I'M NOT DEAD! I was taking a break from writing for a little while, but now, in the words of Murdoc Niccals, I'M BAAAAAACK!  
Anyway, here's a chapter. :P_

 _Monday; four days till prom_

 _Song: Avalanche City – "Goodnight"  
_ In the Beckett house, Jimmy sat in Cheryl's bed, as she snoozed beside him. On Cheryl's shelves, numerous acting awards gleamed gold. Cheryl's desk held organized piles of school papers beside various gadgets Jimmy had made for her. A glass of red wine sat on the bedside table, next to a Blue Devil energy drink. Jimmy leaned back against the headboard of Cheryl's bed with a small happy sigh. Just then, a strand of Cheryl's fire-red hair fell across her face, tickling her. Cheryl wrinkled her nose, and Jimmy broke into a wide grin. Jimmy leaned down and brushed Cheryl's hair behind her ear, before slipping quietly out of bed, through the door to the ensuite bathroom.

Cheryl yawned and stretched widely. She rolled over, and her eyes jolted open as she felt the empty space where Jimmy had been previously. A second later Cheryl relaxed, as the sound of running water echoed through the bathroom door. She propped herself up on her elbow and let her duvet fall down off her breasts. A minute later, Jimmy reemerged through the bathroom door, but stopped dead at the sight in front of him. Cheryl patted the bed next to her without a word, and Jimmy crossed the room, almost in a trance. Jimmy sat down on the edge of the bed, and Cheryl gently pulled him down, until her lips met his.

Calvin's eyes fluttered open, and he looked around his tree house. His chopper sat on the platform in the center of his workshop, gleaming black and orange in the low light through the window. Hobbes lounged on his tiger bed, most likely dreaming of fresh fish. Calvin allowed himself a smile as he looked down. Susie lay beside Calvin in the huge king-size bed, her chest slowly rising and falling as she dreamed still. Calvin cautiously leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Susie's cheek. Calvin slowly stood up and pulled on his tiger-striped boxers, before tiptoeing to the kitchenette.

Susie's eyes fluttered open, and she slowly raised her head. Looking around the tree house, she smiled as she saw Hobbes roll over and kick one of his paws in the air in his sleep. Susie's backpack sat next to Calvin's in a corner, and a pile of paper and schoolbooks surrounded two of the tree house's huge leather armchairs. Susie's gaze fell on Calvin as he poured a glass of milk in the kitchenette with his back to her, wearing nothing but his shiny, stripy boxers. Susie slipped her tank top on and climbed out of bed. She tiptoed across the floor towards Calvin, and without warning, threw her arms around him. Calvin jumped a mile high and dropped the cookie jar he was holding. Cookies spilled across the kitchen floor as Susie spun Calvin around and pressed her lips to his. Calvin stiffened for a split second, but soon relaxed into Susie's kiss. The cookies lay forgotten as Calvin and Susie walked back to bed.

Across the tree house's living room, Hobbes briefly opened his eyes. The smell of chocolate chip cookies hit his nostrils, and as he swept his gaze across the room, the tiger smiled. Calvin and Susie had returned to bed, and the two teenagers were already fast asleep with their arms around one another. Hobbes silently slipped down from his bed and padded over to the hanging king-size bed. Hobbes morphed from his wild tiger form to his true form and stood up straight. With a smile, the tiger pulled the duvet back over Calvin and Susie as they slept. Susie shifted slightly as Hobbes placed the duvet over her, but slumbered on. Satisfied, Hobbes morphed back into a full-grown tiger and crept quietly back to bed.  
The tiger sighed sleepily, and lay back down with one last glance around the tree house. "Good," he nodded. With that single word, sleep returned to the forest.

Several hours later, alarm clocks dragged the four teenagers and the tiger out of bed. Calvin and Susie trudged sleepily around the tree house, idly picking up their clothes and the spilled cookies from earlier. Calvin lifted Susie's purple necklace from where she'd left it on the countertop. Susie turned and lifted her hair up. Calvin stepped in close and fastened the necklace, before lightly kissing Susie's neck. Susie gasped and shivered as Calvin's lips brushed the tiny, sensitive hairs on the back of her neck.

A smirk spread across Susie's face. She turned to Calvin and brushed her lips against Calvin's jawline, just under his ear. Calvin closed his eyes and turned his head to the ceiling for a moment. A second later, he returned his gaze to the beautiful brunette in front of him, and gave a devilish look.  
Just then, Hobbes sneezed explosively, and the two teenagers jumped apart, surprised and annoyed looks on their faces. Hobbes shrugged innocently and pointed to the clock.

Meanwhile, across town, Cheryl buttoned up Jimmy's shirt as he fixed his hair in the mirror. A thought struck Cheryl, and she leaned her head forward over Jimmy's shoulder, to lightly kiss the side of his neck. Suddenly, Jimmy's legs wobbled, and the two teenagers ended up in a heap on the floor. Cheryl blinked in shock, before pushing herself to her feet.  
"What was that?" Jimmy managed to say shakily.  
Cheryl shook her head in confusion. "I have no idea."  
Suddenly, the alarm on Cheryl's phone cut off any further conversation. Jimmy and Cheryl ran downstairs and grabbed their bags.

Calvin's chopper roared through the forest, spraying mud up behind the huge back tire. Trees flashed past as Susie clung onto Calvin's waist while he drove. Calvin twisted the throttle and the big bike roared. The hill became steeper, and their speed increased. Susie gripped Calvin's waist tighter as the main road grew closer. "Calvin," Susie said worriedly. "Calvin, the road. Calvin?"  
Calvin powered on, and Susie finally panicked. "Watterson!" she screamed. The chopper roared up the embankment and actually left the ground. Calvin whooped as the engine howled and Susie screamed. The chopper lost its upward momentum and landed heavily on the road. Calvin twisted on the throttle and wrenched on the handlebars as the back wheel kicked out to the right. Susie clung on in terror as the chopper slid _sideways_ through an intersection in a long left turn, its tire billowing smoke.

Calvin straightened out the big bike and eased off the gas, before Susie punched him in the shoulder. "What the hell was that for?" she exclaimed. "We could have crashed!"  
Calvin smirked. "I did that so we could catch up to them," he jerked his head to the left. Susie looked over to see Jimmy and Cheryl cruising along in Jimmy's Camaro. Cheryl leaned back in the shotgun seat, her flame-red hair blowing in the wind. Beside her, Jimmy stared straight ahead as he drove, music pumping. One arm was stretched straight out, and his hand rested on top of the Camaro's leather steering wheel. Jimmy revved the Camaro's engine twice in greeting, and the pair cruised down the streets towards school.

The morning dragged by slowly, but mercifully, there was no sign of Ratford. Calvin's rant seemed to have worked for the moment. Unfortunately however, Moe was still around. Calvin was made painfully aware of this when a dodge ball smashed into the back of his head like a pile driver. Calvin picked himself off the pavement and stared Moe down. "What the hell was that for?"  
"It was an accident, Twinkie," Moe sneered.  
Calvin crossed his arms and stood his ground. "Bullshit."  
"The fuck you say to me, Twinkie?" Moe roared, bunching his fist.

 _Song: Letlive – "Younger"  
Tracer Bullet's fingers itched to grab his guns, as Morris Malone faced him down. It had taken over two months of searching, but Bullet had finally found Malone at his favorite dive of a bar, the Lucky Lady. Malone had clearly been drinking, and he was packing, a six-shooter under his shoulder and a tommy on his back.  
"I got word you'd be here, Malone," Bullet growled, blowing smoke from the cigar clamped between his teeth.  
"What's it to you, gum shoe?" Malone spat on the pavement, the cheap beer on his breath obvious even from across the street.  
Bullet waved his right hand as though disinterested, while he slid his left hand toward his hip holster. "Got word that you're marrying a dame soon."_

 _Maybe your ears don't work so good," Malone scowled. "What's it to you, flatfoot?"  
"This dame don't care for you," Bullet replied. "Calls you a brute; says you slugged her more than once."  
Malone spat again. "She's just a dumb broad. What makes you think she's tellin' the truth?"  
"It's my business to find the truth, Malone," Bullet narrowed his eyes as he followed Malone's hand. The brainless gorilla was reaching for the hardware in his shoulder holster when he knew Bullet could see.  
"Ease up," Bullet cautioned, wrapping his hand around his own gun. "We can settle this without none of us getting blasted."_

Calvin picked up the fallen dodge ball and grinned at Moe. "You like throwing these at me, don't you?"  
"It's funny as hell," Moe leered.  
Calvin lost his smile and concentrated. A second later, a huge slingshot grew out of the concrete. Moe's smile fell flat and his eyes widened as Calvin loaded the dodge ball in the slingshot.  
"Now it's your turn," Calvin cackled, and let fly.

 _Malone's hardware whipped out of his holster, and in a split second, the street was filled with slugs. Bullet dived behind a trashcan and hauled out his trusty six-shooter. Malone switched to the tommy and let rip, the machine gun barking like a rabid mutt. A scream cut through the air, and a dame fell to the pavement, bleeding from a hole in her guts. Bullet hissed as a line of red opened itself up on his arm as he waited for Malone to reload. A second later, the sound of slugs stopped and Malone swore. Bullet jumped out from behind the trashcan and emptied the chambers of his six-shooter, before diving behind a parked car._

Calvin kept, creating, loading and firing dodge balls from the slingshot. For someone of his size, Moe could dodge rather impressively. The bully weaved his way past the flying balls, trying to close the distance. Calvin stared down the stretched band of the slingshot, waited till Moe was in mid-step, and let fly. The dodge ball slammed into Moe's stomach and the bully bent over with a _whoof_.  
Moe got up and ran at Calvin, a huge hammer materializing in his hands. The hammer shattered the slingshot into rubble, and Moe made to take a swing at Calvin, when an adult's voice shot out.

 _Malone ran out of ammo and Bullet leaped out from behind the car. The detective crash-tackled Malone and wrenched his arms behind him. Bullet whipped out a pair of handcuffs. "Morris Malone," he growled. "You're booked for attempted murder. This woulda gone easy with me, but I'll let the boys in blue take you from here." As Bullet finished speaking, a black-and-white pulled up, lights flashing. Bullet hauled Malone to his feet and shoved him over to where the flatfoot waited, chewing a cigarette._

Mr. Maxwell stormed across the pavement towards the two fighters. Calvin hurriedly morphed the concrete back into a perfect, unblemished state.  
"Moe Malone; my office! Now!" It was the angriest Calvin had ever seen the normally reserved teacher. Moe's hammer had disappeared, but he ignored Mr. Maxwell, fixing a hateful glare on Calvin. As Moe retreated, Calvin raised the middle finger high in the air.

At the end of the day, Calvin's chopper and Jimmy's Camaro roared back down the same street, towards the gap in the forest leading to Calvin's tree house. As the chopper rolled toward the hedge fence, Calvin waved his hand and the branches pulled themselves back, leaving an opening wide enough for the vehicles to pass through.  
Soon after, the four teens and the tiger were safe in the tree house's raised buildings.

 _Song: Boy Epic – "The War Outside"  
_ Calvin and Susie crossed a rope bridge to another room in the massive tree house, leaving Cheryl and Jimmy to talk together.  
"It's bad," Calvin sighed to Susie. "Moe knows I can use my imagination. That's what the fight was today."  
"What happens now?" Susie asked, worry in her face.  
Calvin held out his arms and Susie folded into them. "I guess," he paused. "I guess we just play it safe. But if Moe tries to hurt you again, I don't care who sees; I'll fling him into space if I have to."  
In spite of the situation, Susie giggled. "That's really romantic."  
Calvin laughed and gave Susie a kiss on the forehead. "Prom's in four days, so let's just try and survive till then."  
"Okay." Susie smiled

 _Author's Notes:  
I smell tension! Next chapter is coming out soon. While you wait for that, check out the re-written version of my main story "The Last Firefly."  
Read and review it, cause reviews are great.  
-the Seacopath_


	21. Chapter 20: CantGoBack, MustGoForward

**Chapter 20: #Can'tGoBack, #MustGoForward**

 _Song: Michael Franti and Spearhead – "Do You Feel the Way That I Do?"_

Calvin and Susie returned to the tree house's living room where Jimmy, Cheryl and Hobbes sat in the comfy chairs. Calvin sat down in his own armchair while Susie went to the minifridge.  
"How'd it go?" Cheryl asked, sipping a glass of red wine.  
Calvin shrugged. "Moe's not going to be a problem for much longer. This is high school anyway. When we get out in the real world, jerks like Moe won't be nearly as scary any more."  
"What are you planning to do anyway?" Jimmy piped up. "I've never heard you talk about your future."  
Calvin jerked in surprise, and changed topic at the speed of light. "Have you been practicing using your imagination?"  
Jimmy set his face in concentration, and a second later; he had created a whiteboard on a blank space of tree house wall. As Calvin watched in shock, a stick of chalk floated up and wrote the words _"Don't change the subject."_

Calvin grinned wryly. "Nice one, Sauchak."  
Jimmy nodded. "I figured I should get my message across somehow."  
"Well, that's pretty impressive," Susie cleared her throat. "But you're avoiding the question again. What do you want to do with yourself?"  
Calvin sighed. "I don't know. I've got so many people telling me different things to do with my life."  
"You should listen to yourself," Cheryl interrupted. "It should be your decision what you want to do with your life, not anyone else's."  
"But that's just it!" Calvin exclaimed. "I don't know what I want to do yet, and I'm scared of starting down the wrong path and wasting my time. If I'm not a thousand percent sure about my future, I can't commit!"

Calvin got up from the chair and paced around the tree house, still talking. "Jimmy, you know what you're doing; that engineering course at NYU. You're gonna be designing technology and inventing to your heart's content. Cheryl, you've got a scholarship with Martha Rogers' acting school in New York. Even you know what you want, Susie; you're studying to be a lawyer already!"  
Calvin sat back down heavily and sighed. "I just don't know. I know I'm good at art, but I don't live and breathe it like some people do. And that's gonna make it really hard to get a career in the art world. Everyone's just so damn competitive."  
"Why don't you study to be a mechanic instead?" Jimmy asked.

Every head turned to Jimmy in surprise. "What?" he asked innocently.  
Calvin put his chin in his hand and took on a very thoughtful look. "I never thought about that."  
"It's pretty obvious," Jimmy replied casually. "I mean, you built your bike from practically nothing."  
Susie nodded. "He's right. I remember I laughed at you when you brought that wrecked frame to your house. I thought you'd just give up with it." She blushed. "I'm glad you didn't though."

"Not to mention," Jimmy continued, "You fixed it perfectly after Moe ran it over. I can think of lots of auto shops that would have just written your bike off as scrap."  
"That's actually a good idea," Calvin nodded. "I can't believe I didn't see it was right in front of me this whole time."  
"You'd be surprised how dense you can be sometimes," Hobbes grinned from his chair. Calvin stuck out his tongue at the tiger.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Calvin. "Since you gave me that inspiration, Sauchak, I'll give you some too."  
Jimmy's face turned from confusion, to understanding, to shock, to sheer panic in the time it took Calvin's head to turn towards Cheryl.  
Calvin cleared his throat. "Cheryl, Jimmy and I were discussing something a few days ago."  
Suddenly, cartoon-style gloved hands appeared and slapped themselves over Calvin's mouth. Calvin looked indignantly at Jimmy, voice muffled.  
Jimmy shakily stood up from his chair and walked over to Cheryl's.

Cheryl watched Jimmy trying to form words for a few seconds, and smiled widely. "Yes," she nodded. Calvin's eyes narrowed over the glove that still held his mouth shut, and Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on," she smirked, "was it supposed to be some big surprise? Yes, I would love to go to the prom with you, Jimmy."  
Susie and Hobbes clapped excitedly.  
"You're lucky you asked me now," Cheryl continued. "I was going to ask Calvin if you didn't, but since he's going with Susie, Hobbes was always an option."

The next three seconds' stunned silence was broken by Cheryl cracking up laughing. "You should have seen your faces!"  
Jimmy began to look around wildly, and Cheryl calmed down and stood up, taking his hand.  
"I'm joking," she said quietly. "I'm really glad you finally asked me."  
With that, Cheryl stepped forward and pulled Jimmy into a deep kiss. Calvin and Susie smiled. " _About time_ ," Calvin whispered.

 _Song: Blackbear – "Slide Thru"  
_ Some time later, the four teenagers and the tiger were celebrating in a booth at Bob's Booze Basement. Everyone shared a bottle of champagne and a pitcher of Bob's famous cider. Cheryl snuggled into Jimmy's shoulder while the genius blushed red. Hobbes smirked. "What's the matter, Jimmy? I thought you and Cheryl were already a thing?"  
"We didn't put a label on it until now," Cheryl explained. Jimmy nodded. "I guess I was just a little nervous."  
"Well," Susie grinned, "Me and Calvin are happy for you."

Just then, Bob the barman strolled over, holding out another pitcher of cider. "Can I tempt you guys?" he smiled.  
Calvin shook his head. "No thanks, Bobby. We're just here for a couple drinks, and Jimmy's taking us home."  
Bob nodded and walked to the next table. As he turned around, the axe tucked in his belt flashed in the bar's dim lights. Hobbes glanced nervously at the weapon. "Why does the bartender carry an axe?" he nudged Calvin.  
Calvin smirked. "In case a homicidal psycho jungle cat comes in the bar."  
Hobbes bared his teeth at Calvin, who quickly backtracked. "Or in case he needs to break up a bar fight."

 _Song: Humble the Poet – "#Can'tGoBack" ft. Sickick & Yucifer (lyric version)  
_As if to prove the point, a crash from the next table drew everyone's attention. A huge biker-looking guy had spilled his beer all over a smaller man wearing a t-shirt with a dog on it. The shorter man stood up and faced the biker down. "You son of a _bitch_!" he roared, letting loose with a wild swing. The biker crashed backwards into his group's table, and all hell broke loose.  
Calvin and Susie threw themselves sideways to dodge a flying chair. The chair sailed past the table and smashed into the back of another patron. "That's gotta hurt!" Jimmy gasped.

A table full of men wearing black exploded into motion, fists and feet flying. Insignias on the backs of their jackets proclaimed them to belong to the Jim Jones School of Martial Arts.  
"Hey!" Cheryl pointed over with a laugh. "What are the chances?"  
The karate team was making short work of most of the drunken fighters, knocking people's heads together left and right. At the back of the pub, Bob leaned forward over the bar, serving beer to people who had wisely decided to stay out of the fight. Suddenly, a bottle smashed against the wall behind Bob's head, breaking another bottle full of aged whisky. Bob scowled, plucked his axe from his belt loop, and threw it full-force into the brawl.

A noise like a gong rang out and the entire bar fight froze. Everyone's heads swiveled to the far wall, where Bob's axe was buried in a Viking shield, right between the heads of two people frozen in mid-punch, looks of terror on their faces. Calvin and Susie nudged the others. "Time to go," Calvin muttered. "Before Bob brings out the crossbow or the sword." Soon, the four teens and the tiger were sitting in the leather seats of Jimmy's Camaro, on their way to Jimmy's house. When the black muscle car pulled into the driveway, Jimmy's mom opened her front door. "Jimmy, where have you been?" she asked worriedly.  
"It's okay Ms. Sauchak!" Calvin called. "We were just at Bob's!"  
Ms. Sauchak relaxed and smiled. "Hello everyone."  
Just then, a shout echoed from inside the house. " _Betty_! Where the hell is my beer already?"  
Ms. Sauchak sighed and turned back into the house.

"Jimmy?" Cheryl asked, "Who was that?"  
"That's Mat, my mom's boyfriend," Jimmy replied sadly. "He's a…"  
Calvin spat. "He sounds like a douche bag."  
Jimmy nodded. "He is, but he's rich, so we put up with him. He doesn't know it, but I've been siphoning money from him so I can keep buying materials for my projects. He just thinks I sell my tech on the side." Jimmy finished the sentence with a nasty grin.  
Calvin snickered. "Nice work Jimmy. I can think of a few people I'd like to do that to."  
Susie followed Calvin over to where he'd left his bike next to Jimmy's garage. Calvin was already straddling the chopper, zipping up his leather jacket.  
"See you guys at school," Calvin grinned, twisting the bike's ignition key. The black chopper's v-twin woke up with a growl, and Susie slid onto the seat behind Calvin.

Back at the Watterson house, Susie and Calvin dismounted the chopper, and Susie handed Calvin's helmet back to him. Just then, the front doors of both the Watterson and Derkins houses flew open. Calvin and Susie shared a look before both their mothers approached.  
"Right on time, you two!" Mrs. Derkins beamed. "The tailors just called this afternoon; they said your prom outfits are ready!"  
Calvin's mom jingled her car keys. "We can go for pizza or something afterwards."  
Susie turned to Calvin and shrugged. "I'm game if you are."  
Calvin sighed and leaned his bike onto its kickstand.

 _Song: Machine Gun Kelly – "Trap Paris" (ft. Ty Dolla $ign & Quavo)  
_The Watterson family's Mercedes G Class 6x6 cruised down the freeway, music pumping on the stereo. The two mothers sat in front, while Calvin and Susie sat snuggled up in the backseat. In the distance, the city's huge shopping mall grew larger in the windshield. Calvin's mom drove off the freeway and pulled into the enormous mall's parking lot. Calvin and Susie clambered out of the lifted truck, and brushed themselves off, getting ready to receive their prom outfits.

Meanwhile, Moe and his cronies hung out in his room. Moe's parents were both gone; his dad was out drinking and his mom was at the nail salon.  
"You know how you're gonna get even with Watterson yet?" Mick asked, fiddling with a broken lamp.  
"I'm gonna humiliate that little asshole," Moe growled. "I'm gonna mess him up so bad that no one will ever like him again."

 _Author's Notes:  
I'm not dead. Life just happened, a lot.  
Basically, over the course of three months, I lost a job, wrecked my car, found another job, lost that job, and generally went through some shit.  
Hopefully I can get back to posting regularly, because I know people have been missing me and my stories. I'll try and put out another Last Firefly update soon.  
Thanks for being patient while I try and get my life back on track.  
-the Seacopath_


	22. Chapter 21: Anticipation, Arts and Craft

**Chapter 21: Anticipation, Arts and Crafts**

 _Two days till prom_

 _Song: Koda – "Staying" (the Eden Project Edit)  
_ Calvin opened the door to his room and dropped a large bag on his bed. In the corner of the room, Hobbes raised his head sleepily. "What's in the bag?"  
"Take a guess, furball," Calvin smirked.  
Hobbes went from _sleepy as hell_ to _all stations full alert_ in point-eight seconds. "Is that your suit?" he gasped. Calvin nodded. "Yeah. Our parents made a big scene about not showing them to each other till prom night."  
"They didn't say anything about tigers!" Hobbes laughed, bounding over to the clothing bag and ripping it open. A second later, Hobbes froze and cleared his throat.

"Wow, Calvin," he said quietly. "This is a damn good suit."  
Calvin shoved Hobbes out of the way and looked down. Hobbes was right. Inside the garment bag was a suit so dark, it seemed to suck in the light around it. Calvin stripped down to his stripy shorts and lifted the suit from the bag. The pants fit perfectly, and the belt was topped with a buckle in the shape of a snarling tiger's head. The shirt was a dark grey with orange detailing. But it was the jacket that completed the picture. Calvin slipped the jacket on, and the fabric practically molded to the shape of his body, as though he'd had the suit for years. Just then, Calvin's door opened to reveal his parents.

"Oh…my…goodness!" Calvin's mom gushed, throwing herself at her son. "My little man's all grown up!"  
Calvin's dad nodded approvingly from the doorway. "Looking sharp, son."  
"Thanks guys," Calvin nodded. "I should save this till the prom though, right?"  
"Right, right," Calvin's mom nodded quickly. "Put the suit back; we don't want it getting dirty before the big night."  
Calvin's parents left the room, and Calvin got out his phone, typing a text to Susie.

 _Calvin: "My suit looks dope. How's your dress?"  
Susie: "Can't tell you yet. You'll have to wait till the prom!"  
Calvin: "Is it weird that I can't wait?"  
Susie: "Not at all. Honestly, I've wanted to do this since my cousins all went to their proms."  
Calvin: "Well, we should get some sleep. Ratford's probably prepared some fresh hell for us tomorrow."  
Susie: "Goodnight Calvin."_

Calvin watched a final text pop up, containing a kiss Emoji. As the song playing on his radio wound down, Calvin felt himself break into a wide smile.  
A few minutes later, Calvin scooted under his duvet and fell asleep looking at his suit hanging on the wall.  
Next door, Susie closed her eyes, remembering how her dress felt when she put it on.

 _The next morning – one day till prom  
(Warning: Contains a sex scene. I thought it was time for one again)_

 _Song: Yxng Bane – "Rihanna"  
_ Susie dragged herself out of bed, surprised to hear music. She looked out the window to the house next door, and got a shock. Calvin was shimmying around his room in nothing but a pair of black jeans and sunglasses, dancing to a hip-hop beat. In spite of herself, Susie laughed out loud. Calvin whirled around and continued dancing, facing Susie, running his hands up and down his body. Susie blushed furiously and ducked down till only her eyes were visible. Across the gap between the two houses, Calvin could be seen beckoning with his finger. Susie rolled her eyes and started getting changed for school, grooving to the music drifting through her open window.

Across town, Cheryl and Jimmy rolled awake as Jimmy's mom knocked on the room door. "You two had better get up!" she called through the door. "School starts in an hour!"  
Jimmy blinked sleep out of his eyes to find Cheryl staring at him with a hungry look.  
"I guess we can take some time," Jimmy smiled. Cheryl needed no telling twice, practically launching herself on top of her boyfriend. Jimmy and Cheryl rolled across the bed, kissing passionately.

Jimmy ripped his shirt off and slipped his underwear down, throwing them both to the side. Cheryl pulled one of Jimmy's t-shirts over her head and wiggled out of her panties. Cheryl pushed Jimmy down onto the bed and swung her leg over top of him in the 69 position. Jimmy stretched his head up and ran his tongue over Cheryl's smooth pussy, gasping as he felt her mouth on his hardening cock.  
Cheryl hummed appreciatively as Jimmy went to work, twisting his tongue on her pink lips. Jimmy flicked Cheryl's clit with his tongue and slid two fingers inside her. Cheryl responded by taking as much of Jimmy's member into her mouth as she could, coughing when it hit the back of her throat.

Jimmy tapped the back of Cheryl's leg, and she sat up, turning around so she straddled his hips. Jimmy pulled Cheryl down into a deep kiss as she sank down onto his cock. Cheryl purred seductively, gyrating her hips. Jimmy groaned and grabbed Cheryl's ass with both hands. Cheryl leaned down and put her mouth next to Jimmy's ear, nibbling his earlobe and lightly kissing his neck as he began thrusting. Cheryl moaned and kissed Jimmy deeply. Jimmy put one hand around Cheryl's back, holding her close. Cheryl gasped as she felt her pussy squeeze like a vice around Jimmy's cock. " _Don't stop_ ," she breathed. " _This is so fucking good_."

Jimmy sped up, spurred on by the sound of Cheryl moaning and gasping. Cheryl's eyes rolled back in her head and she shuddered with a powerful orgasm. Jimmy kept up the pace, drawing out Cheryl's pleasure until she screamed into his neck, digging her nails into his shoulder. Jimmy hissed in pain and stopped thrusting. Cheryl collapsed on top of him, breathing hard. " _Sorry,_ " she whispered.  
"It's okay," Jimmy murmured. "I guess we just got carried away, huh?"  
"Yeah we did," Cheryl chuckled. "We should get ready for school though."

 _Song: Blackbear – "Weak When You're Around" (Non-Acoustic Version)  
_ The next six hours of school passed in a blur. Absolutely no one seemed to be able to focus on their class work, and the prom was the talk of the halls. More specifically, the topic on everyone's minds was the voting for prom king and queen.  
"You think it's going to be us?" Calvin asked Susie as they sat together under the old oak tree.  
"Of course it is," Cheryl smiled from where her head lay on Jimmy's lap. "You two are the school's favorite couple, and you're a shoe-in. I voted for you guys."  
Calvin and Susie blushed red, and Susie smiled in mild embarrassment. "You really voted for us?"  
Cheryl winked. "Least I could do for my best friend."

After recess ended, Jimmy and Susie managed to do some work on their essays for Mr. Maxwell. However, all Calvin and Cheryl had managed to do was spend the entirety of history class making a playlist for the prom. Mercifully, the bell for the end of the day soon rang, and students poured out of the school, frantically heading to their houses or the shops for some last-minute preparations. Calvin strolled to the parking lot and waited for the other kids to collect their pit-bikes and Vespa scooters. Soon, his black and orange chopper sat alone on the pavement, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Calvin straddled his chopper and started the engine. The big v-twin woke up with an appreciative roar, and settled down to a deep growling purr. A few feet away, a manhole cover started rattling in its fitting. Calvin prepared to put the bike in gear when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Calvin jumped in surprise and the bike growled when his hand jerked the throttle.  
Cheryl backed up with an alarmed look. " _Sorry_!" she shouted over the bike's engine noise. Calvin twisted the key, and the chopper's v-twin cut out.  
"What's up, Cheryl?" Calvin asked curiously, pulling his helmet off.

Cheryl blushed. "I wanted to get Jimmy something nice as a gift before the prom. Can I get a ride to the mall?"  
Calvin nodded. "I'm guessing you want to surprise him and that's why you're not in his shotgun seat right now?"  
"Yeah," Cheryl replied. "I also wanted your advice because you know him better than anyone. As a friend, anyway."  
Calvin tossed Cheryl his helmet and patted the seat behind him. Cheryl gingerly sat on the chopper and gave a surprised " _eep"_ when the engine roared to life again. Calvin smirked. "A bit louder than the Camaro, right?"  
Cheryl nodded, and Calvin released the clutch, slowly twisting the throttle. The black and orange Harley eased forward, out of the parking lot.

 _Song_ : _Sage the Gemini – "Come Get It"  
_ On the main road, Calvin opened the bike's throttle, and the v-twin roared. Cheryl gripped the loops on Calvin's jacket like a vice as the chopper surged ahead. In the distance, East Cityville Mall grew bigger. In spite of her earlier anxiety, Cheryl found herself trusting Calvin more and more not to flip them to a painful and skin-shredding demise. Instead of keeping a death-grip on Calvin's jacket, Cheryl stared around the bike, savoring the raw feeling of air whistling past her skin and the hot sun beating down on her back as the chopper roared along.  
Calvin chose that moment to lean hard into a long left turn, the chopper's foot pegs almost scraping the pavement. Cheryl felt a wide grin spread across her face as she watched the yellow lines on the road flashing past, barely two feet away from her nose.

Calvin straightened out of the turn and hit the throttle. The big Harley leapt forward, the front wheel actually leaving the ground for a split second. Cheryl whooped as she wrapped her arms around Calvin's jacket. Calvin smirked. " _Having fun?_ " he shouted over the rushing wind and growling engine.  
Cheryl raised one hand in the air. " _Hell yeah!_ " she laughed. " _I totally get what Susie was talking about!_ "  
Calvin grinned and roared through an intersection.

A few minutes later, Calvin's Harley rolled to a stop in the motorcycle parking section in front of East Cityville Mall.  
Calvin let Cheryl dismount before he shut off the engine and climbed off after her. Cheryl passed Calvin his helmet back, and the two teens walked into the mall.  
Calvin and Cheryl took a moment to stare at the shopping wonderland spread out before them. Everywhere, people flowed in and out of the hundreds of stores like an all-consuming flood. Massive sculptures towered over the crowd's heads, and animatronic animals roamed the floor, being pet by customers, or basking in the shafts of sunlight from the huge glass ceiling.

Cheryl made a beeline for a tech store, before Calvin put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Remember," he reminded Cheryl," Jimmy can get pretty much any kind of tech he likes. He's also got so much that anything you buy, he probably has already."  
"What do you suggest then?" Cheryl raised an eyebrow.  
Calvin scratched his chin in thought, before an idea occurred to him. "I think I know something Jimmy would love."

 _Song: David Guetta – "Toy Story"  
_ Calvin led Cheryl to an elevator and the two teens rode down three floors to the basement level of the mall. The elevator doors _ding_ ed open, and Cheryl's eyes widened.  
The mall's basement level resembled a cross between a comic convention and a mad scientist's laboratory. A heavy techno beat pounded above the shoppers' heads, and a white glow illuminated everything. Most of the shoppers were dressed in black with green highlights, and circuit board patterns were painted everywhere.

"I thought you said it would be a waste of time buying Jimmy any tech," Cheryl exclaimed.  
"We're not buying technology, per se," Calvin pointed out, steering Cheryl to a shop on the right side of the enormous hall.  
A sign above this shop proclaimed the store to be " _C0RruPt K1Ck5._ " Calvin led Susie inside. Racks of clothes and accessories lined the walls. A circular checkout desk stood in the center of the store, while a DJ deck hung from the ceiling on thick cables. The masked DJ worked the turntables, the store's speakers pumping a hardcore electro beat.

Calvin led Cheryl to a rack of shoes glowing with a green backlight. At this, Cheryl perked up. "This is a really good idea. I've only ever seen Jimmy wearing that one pair of sneakers he has. That, and he's not exactly a 'dress shoes' kind of guy."  
"I figure Jimmy needs some classy kicks to go to the prom in," Calvin nodded. "This also tells him you've been paying attention."  
Calvin plucked a pair of shoes off the rack and showed them to Cheryl. The high-top sneakers were made of black leather, with blue highlights in a circuit board pattern.  
"Just like Jimmy's hat," Cheryl whistled. "He'll love them. How much are these?"

A few minutes later, Cheryl and Calvin left the store, slightly poorer, but happy. Cheryl carried the box with Jimmy's sneakers inside, and Calvin carried a bag with a new hoodie inside. The sweatshirt was made of a black material so dark it looked like a Photoshopped hole in the world, and the edges glowed bright orange.  
The two teens hopped back on the elevator and left the pulsing techno world behind.

 _Song: Jax Jones – "You Don't Know Me" (ft. RAYE)  
_ Meanwhile, Jimmy sat in his massive workshop, frantically putting the finishing touches on a project. The genius' lab was something amazing. Jimmy had hollowed out an area the size of several football fields underneath his house and most of the surrounding neighborhood. The cavernous space was packed with technology and inventions of every description, from a simple gaming PC and an army of camera drones, all the way up to a matter collider and a hover tank. A fusion generator occupied one corner, occasionally crackling with a burst of blue lightning.

Jimmy paid all of this no mind, as he fiddled with a small golden chain on his workbench. After a minute, Jimmy turned to a pile of coal on another bench, and picked out several large lumps.  
Jimmy pulled a lever on a huge device resembling a pottery kiln, and a door opened on the strange machine. Jimmy tossed the lumps of coal inside the kiln and shut the door, before pressing a button. A second later, a wave of searing heat filled the room, forcing Jimmy several steps back. Jimmy forced his way back through the blistering heat and yanked down on another lever. The temperature instantly dropped, and a resounding _BOOM_ echoed through the workshop as the kiln slammed two thick metal panels together. Jimmy released the lever and the panels retracted, letting a large rough diamond fall into a collection grate.

Jimmy scooped the freshly made diamond from the collection grate and took it over to a machine that looked like a 3D printer. The machine whirred to life, intricate parts spinning around the diamond and cutting it so fast, the diamond was a blur. Barely a minute later, the stone fell to the bottom of the cutter and Jimmy snatched it up, bringing it back to the workbench and examining it. The chemical process, as well as the precise nature of the cutting had left the diamond with a perfect shine, as well as a flame-red hue in the center of the stone.

Jimmy smiled, satisfied with his work. Within a few minutes, the necklace was finished.  
Just then, Jimmy's workshop intercom squawked. " _Jimmy_!" Mrs. Sauchak called. " _Dinner time, son_!"  
Jimmy shut off his stereo and powered down his workshop before standing on the elevator platform to take him up to his house.

While Jimmy was washing his hands for dinner, Moe's Ford cruised down the street, tailing Calvin and Cheryl on the chopper. "Where are you going, Watterson?" Moe growled, watching the bike cruise along, several cars ahead.  
At that moment, Calvin turned right and left the road completely, disappearing into the trees. Moe slammed on his brakes and stared down the path after the rapidly disappearing Harley Davidson. After a second, Moe reached his hand out his truck's window and blasted an X in the ground with an arc of electricity from his fingers to mark the spot.

 _Song: Eminem – "My Darling"  
_ Moe roared away and parked his truck a few blocks down, before returning to the spot where he'd carved an X into the dirt. The tall boy made his way into the forest, and was soon swallowed by the trees.  
As soon as Moe entered the woods, most sounds immediately faded to nothing. All that was left was a moaning of wind, and creaking wood as the trees swayed in the breeze. Moe looked around nervously, as the trees seemed to stretch and warp around him. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Moe conjured a chainsaw in his hands, and began playing loud music on his phone.

Striding forward, Moe focused on following the motorcycle tracks in the dirt, ignoring the creaking trees, until he came to a hedge growing like a wall through the middle of the path. Moe gritted his teeth and raised the chainsaw. The power tool woke up with a growl and immediately began carving a hole in the green hedgerow.

Meanwhile, up in the tree house, Calvin sat at his workbench while Cheryl stood next to him. Calvin let his imagination run wild, and focused on the plank of wood in his hands. As Calvin furrowed his brow in concentration, the wood floated up and began wobbling like jelly. Barely ten seconds later, the single plank of wood had morphed into a shoebox engraved with a circuit board pattern. Calvin placed Jimmy's new shoes in the box and passed another plank to Cheryl. The redhead concentrated, and the plank began to shimmer, floating down and fixing itself to the shoebox. Cheryl passed her hand over the box's lid, and an engraved image of her and Jimmy appeared. Calvin pressed a finger to the join between the lid and the box. A second later, a clasp shaped like a rose had grown out of the wood.  
Cheryl beamed. "Jimmy is going to love this."  
"He definitely will,' Calvin nodded, before his ear pricked up. "Do you hear that?"

The chainsaw broke through the hedgerow and Moe forced his way into the clearing beyond. Straightening up, the bully looked around in shock, seeing what Calvin had created. A second later, Moe shook his head and set his jaw in anger. In his hands, a long shape covered in hoses and dials began flickering into life.  
Calvin ran to the tree house window as a burst of light illuminated everything in the clearing. A second later, he turned back to Cheryl, horror written all over his face.  
"What's wrong?" Cheryl gasped.  
Calvin climbed down from the window ledge, his face pale. "Moe found the tree house," he breathed. "He's here, and he has a goddamn flamethrower."

 _Author's notes:  
_ _Hellooooo Cliffhanger!  
_ _I should have the next chapter out soon.  
_ _-the Seacopath_


	23. Chapter 22: Burn Baby Burn

**Chapter 22: Burn, Baby, Burn**

 _Song: Barry Adamson – "Business As Usual"_  
On the ground, Moe roared as the flamethrower in his hands blasted out a deadly torrent of fire. A few yards in front of him, one of the smaller trees in the clearing was engulfed in smoke and fire. Moe strode forwards, spitting flames like a devil.  
Up in the tree house, Calvin and Cheryl shook Hobbes awake. The tiger jerked alert at the smell of smoke. "What's happening?" Hobbes gasped.  
"Moe is trying to burn the tree house down!" Cheryl shouted.  
Hobbes instantly morphed from his anthropomorphic form to his wild tiger form and snarled ferociously, showing every tooth he had. " _I'll turn that little punk into chowder_!"

Calvin grabbed the tiger as he tried to make a break for an open window. "No! I need you to run and tell Jimmy what's happening! We need his firefighter drone!"  
" _I won't leave you two!_ " Hobbes yowled. Calvin stared his best friend in the eye. "You have to!" he exclaimed. "We need help! We can't fight Moe and this fire by ourselves!"  
Sensing Calvin's urgency, Hobbes calmed down and nodded once, before leaping out the open window.

Moe turned another tree into a bonfire and looked around for his next target, when an orange blur flew through an open window on the main building and crashed to the ground. When the dust cleared, Moe stopped in shock at the sight of a _monstrous_ tiger. The beast whipped its head in Moe's direction and the older boy froze under the tiger's glowing green gaze. A second later, Moe felt a bucket of ice cascade down his spine when the massive jungle cat _spoke_.  
" _If I were you_ ," the tiger snarled, " _I would run._ "

Moe snapped out of his fear-trance and blasted the flamethrower at the tiger. Suddenly, a wave of water appeared out of nowhere and cut off the stream of flame before it could hit the big cat.  
" _Hobbes! Go!_ " came a voice. Moe shot a glance at the open window to see Calvin leaning out, his hands dripping with water. Across the clearing, the huge tiger _roared_ explosively, before leaping clean over the fifteen-foot hedge wall and out of sight.  
" _Watterson!_ " Moe shouted, blasting the flamethrower up at the tree house. " _Come down here and fight me like a goddamn MAN, you little pussy baby!_ "  
Calvin jerked away from the window as flames licked the tree house. "God damn," he swore, "I hope Hobbes gets to Jimmy in time."

 _Song: Nickelback – "Burn it to the Ground"  
_ Hobbes tore through the trees, his breathing loud in his own ears. The tiger's claws ripped furrows in the dirt, propelling him forward at a breakneck pace. The entrance to the forest path loomed ahead and Hobbes leaped through the hole in the trees. Hobbes landed heavily on the road, his claws scrabbling on the tarmac as he leaned into a sharp right turn. A split second later, his paws found purchase on the road, and the huge tiger leaped forward.

Hobbes sprinted down the street, unmindful of the pedestrians and cars on either side of himself. Said pedestrians and cars screamed and swerved out of the enraged feline's way. In his mind, Hobbes amusedly entertained the thought that he must have made a terrifying sight; a wall of stripy orange and black fur, bulging muscles and sharp teeth barreling down a busy suburban American road.  
A few minutes later, Hobbes leaped explosively, clearing the back fence of Jimmy's house. His huge paws dug furrows in the dirt as Hobbes lifted himself up to the height of Jimmy's bedroom window.

The teenage genius stuck his head out the window, completely flabbergasted. "Hobbes!" he gasped. "What if someone sees you?"

Hobbes shook his head. " _No time_!" he rumbled. " _Get your drones. Moe is trying to burn down Calvin's tree house!_ "  
Jimmy froze for all of two seconds, before disappearing downstairs. A moment later, a thunderous roar started up. All over the property, drones of various shapes and sizes took to the sky. Hobbes watched, seriously impressed and seriously fighting an urge to bat one out of the air.

The fleet of drones buzzed over town in formation. Jimmy's massive cargo carrier led the charge, with the genius himself standing on the cargo platform. Behind Jimmy followed over twenty drones, equipped with water cannons and nitrogen sprayers. Below the flying fleet, Hobbes ran down the street back towards the forest. " _Come on_ ," Hobbes thought desperately. " _Please don't let us be too late_."

 _Song: Disturbed – "Inside the Fire"  
_ Back in the forest, Calvin and Cheryl fought for their lives. Cheryl ran around the perimeter of the clearing, blasting streams of water from her hands, trying to put out the trees Moe had already set on fire. Calvin jumped off the tree house's balcony and crashed to the ground in an explosion of mud and dirt. Moe faced Calvin down and raised the glowing red flamethrower. "Ready to burn, Watterson?" he growled.

Calvin clapped his hands together and bared his teeth. "Only if you're ready to freeze, Malone." Calvin pulled his hands apart, and shards of ice burst from his fingers, trailing freezing mist.  
Just then, a howling wind swept through the clearing. Above everyone's heads, a cloud of drones descended from the sky, spraying everything with water and freezing nitrogen gas. Moe and Calvin held their standoff and slowly paced in a large circle, neither boy willing to break focus. Moe blasted short bursts of flame from the thrower in his hands, trying to scare Calvin. For his part, Calvin's icy smoke froze the ground he stepped on.

Across the clearing, a hedge shook, before Hobbes exploded through it. The huge tiger skidded to a stop, his sides heaving, his glowing eyes fixed on Moe. Calvin called to Hobbes without breaking eye contact with Moe. "Gimme some cover, buddy!"  
Hobbes nodded and took a deep breath, before letting loose with an explosive roar. Calvin whipped his hands up and blasted a torrent of ice at Moe, who countered with a wall of liquid fire. Above their heads, several drones fell to earth, their propellers burnt and twisted.  
Calvin slammed his hands on the ground, and two enormous stone fists rose from the dirt, smashing down where Moe had been standing and shaking the earth. Moe threw away his flamethrower and a gigantic sledgehammer materialized in his hands. Moe swung the hammer, smashing through one of Calvin's conjured stone hands. Calvin gritted his teeth and swung the other stone fist, catching Moe in the back and hurling him across the clearing.

Moe rolled to a stop and conjured another flamethrower, firing across the clearing in a storm of fire. Calvin raised both hands, and a wall of earth rose up to block Moe's inferno. A second later the wall smashed to bits, but Calvin had already moved, sending the water in the clearing towards Moe in a swirling vortex. Moe blasted more fire at Calvin, but the streams of water absorbed them. Calvin twisted his hands violently, and the water froze into jagged spikes of ice, trapping Moe and rendering the bully immobile.

Moe tried to thrash, but Calvin clenched his fist. The spikes of ice contracted inward, pricking Moe's skin. The bigger boy quickly stopped struggling. Calvin stepped close to Moe and directed the spikes to force his face down to Calvin's own eye level.  
"Listen to me, you psychopathic shit," Calvin hissed. "I'm done playing this little game. I'm perfectly happy to stay the fuck out of your way, but don't you _dare_ think you can attack my friends and get away with it. So this is the way it's going to work."  
Calvin cleared his throat. "You will stay away from me and my friends, or the kid gloves _will_ come off. I kicked your ass today, and I can do it again tomorrow."

Moe snarled, but after a second, his ire vanished, and he slumped against the ice. "Whatever Watterson," he sighed. "Just kill me now."  
"No," Calvin shook his head and opened his hand. The ice retracted and dissolved into steam, dumping Moe on the ground. "I'm a better person than that."  
Cheryl stepped up next to Calvin and faced Moe down. "Make sure you stay away from us," she crossed her arms. "Or things will get very bad for you and your idiot friends."  
"Fine," Moe growled as he got to his feet. "It was getting boring picking on you anyway, Twinkie."  
Calvin snapped his fingers and the hedge wall parted, showing the path out of the forest. "I wouldn't think of coming back here again, Moe," he said dangerously. "It won't go well for you. It's easy to get lost in a forest like this."

Moe stepped through the hedge wall, and it snapped shut behind him. The moment the leaves closed, the forest's noises disappeared, leaving Moe in almost total darkness. Blindly, Moe felt around with his foot until he registered the shape of a tire track. Using the track from Calvin's motorcycle, Moe slowly made his way through the dark forest back to civilization.

Back at the tree house, the swarm of drones dispersed, and Jimmy was lowered to the ground before his cargo drone soared off.  
"That was impressive," the genius nodded. "What happens now?"  
Calvin grinned. "We have the prom tomorrow. And I don't know about all of you, but I can't wait."

 _Author's Notes:  
I'm back…again.  
The next chapter will be prom, don't worry  
Till then  
-the Seacopath_


	24. Chapter 23: The Big Night

Chapter 23: The Big Night

Well, I'm back, after a whole year. Sorry about that. I'm not gonna make excuses, but I'm going to do my best to keep writing as much as possible. Hopefully this marathon of a chapter makes up for my absence. This chapter contains LOTS of juicy bits. Just letting everyone know.

Song: Dierks Bentley – "The Mountain"

The alarm clock in Susie's room blared loudly, before the brunette teen reached out and pressed the stop button. Susie sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. A second later, she grinned and looked over to her closet door, where her dress hung inside a garment bag. Susie's morning was interrupted by the mother-shaped hurricane that burst through her bedroom door. Mrs. Derkins looked almost manic as she ushered her daughter downstairs to the breakfast table. In the kitchen, Susie's father was already at the table reading a newspaper. "Morning, little bird," he grinned. "Are you ready for your big night?"

Susie blushed as her mother sat her down at the table and placed a plate of pancakes in front of her. "I think so, daddy. I'm excited, and a little nervous."

"I'm not surprised," Mr. Derkins grinned wryly. "I still remember when your mother and I went to prom. It was a great night, and the stories I could tell you…"

"Are stories you won't be telling her until after her prom," Mrs. Derkins said firmly, clapping a hand on her husband's shoulder and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Now eat up, Susie. We're going to get your makeup done."

Across town, Cheryl stretched and rolled out of bed. The slender redhead crossed to her closet and selected a red silk bathrobe, before walking across the hallway to her bathroom. From under her vanity, Cheryl retrieved her makeup kit, and the wooden box containing the shoes she'd bought for Jimmy. With a satisfied nod, Cheryl clicked her bathroom door shut and locked it.

A few streets over, Jimmy yawned widely and sat up in the bed in his laboratory. A smile found its way onto the genius' face as he looked at a picture of Cheryl on his bedside table. Jimmy stepped into his robotic closet and entered a code to unlock the case at the very back of the closet. From out of the sealed container, a suit emerged. As the suit entered the light, the flat black cloth shone with iridescent blue circuit patterns. Jimmy grinned and picked out his regular outfit for the day.

Calvin stirred awake at the sound of a loud engine next door. The blond teen stood up shakily and walked to his window just in time to see Susie and her mother pulling out of the driveway in the Derkins' Mercedes CLK 63 AMG. A second later, Calvin's phone rang."Hey Susie," Calvin grinned, holding the phone to his ear.

Susie's smile could be heard on the other end of the line. "You ready for tonight?"

"Definitely," Calvin smiled. "Love you."

In the kitchen, Calvin and Hobbes sat at the breakfast table, wolfing down matching plates of eggs and pancakes. Calvin's mom leaned over the kitchen counter and gave her son a long look. "Are you sure you've got everything ready for the prom tonight?" She tapped her wrist pointedly. "The corsage?" Calvin guessed. "It's in a safe place."

Calvin's mom nodded. "I just hope she likes it. You spent a lot of time working on it for her."

"Don't worry," Calvin smiled. "I have a feeling she will."

Susie rested her head against the Mercedes' window and watched the scenery flash by. The German-made V8 growled in the edges of Susie's hearing, and the sun beat down on the landscape. In the distance, the highway stretched off for what looked like forever. Birds wheeled above the fields in an aerial dance, bringing a smile to Susie's face. In the driver's seat, Mrs. Derkins smiled fondly at her daughter. Lost in their own thoughts, neither mother nor daughter noticed the black Cadillac Escalade that had been following at a distance turn off into a side road and stop.

Cheryl emerged from her walk-in closet, clad in her prom dress. The elegant strapless gown left her pale shoulders bare and flowed down to the floor in a streak of black fabric. Cheryl twirled and the long skirt flowed around her, showing flashes of cobalt cloth underneath the black. As she finished her spin, Cheryl turned at the sound of a knock on her bedroom door. "Oh, you look so beautiful," Mrs. Beckett exclaimed, gushing over her daughter.

Cheryl blushed. "Thanks mom. Do you think Jimmy will like it?"

Mrs. Beckett gave her daughter a devilish grin. "He won't know what hit him."

A few minutes later, the Becketts' Jaguar F-Type pulled out onto the road, heading for the salon. In the passenger seat, Cheryl typed a text to Susie, not noticing the black van parked a few houses down.

Meanwhile, Jimmy lifted a welder's helmet up off his face. The genius sat at a workbench in his enormous workshop, putting the finishing touches on a metal box. Jimmy put down his welding torch and tested the box's hinges. With a satisfied smile, Jimmy placed the diamond necklace that he'd made for Cheryl inside the box, and closed the lid. As Jimmy ascended the elevator from his workshop into his house, a black drone turned away from where it had been hovering next to Jimmy's bedroom window and zoomed off.

Calvin stepped through his bedroom door and crossed the room to his closet. Pulling open the door, Calvin smirked at the little design he'd carved years ago. A small gravestone marked with R.I.P. was etched into the wood above the doorknob, as a memorial to the monsters in the closet Calvin had previously defeated. Calvin reached up to the top shelf of the closet and brought down a small box. Opening the clasp, Calvin smiled to himself. Behind him, Hobbes winked. Calvin shut the box and carefully put it on his desk. Outside the window, a small camera mounted to a nearby tree zoomed in on the blond teen's head.

In the salon, Susie relaxed in a comfortable chair as three women bustled around her. One woman carefully applied a coat of nail polish, the second girl artfully styled Susie's dark brown hair, and the third lady gently applied a thin layer of eye shadow to Susie's face. Susie opened her eyes just in time to see Cheryl enter the salon with her mother and sit down in the chair opposite Susie's. Immediately, several women swarmed around the redhead. Cheryl smiled at Susie as the brushes descended.

Calvin roared down the street, his chopper's engine growling proudly, and his blond hair glowing in the sunlight. Nodding his head to the beat bumping on his headphones, Calvin changed gear down and twisted the throttle. The custom Harley snarled and surged ahead, leaving a big rig in the dust. Calvin eased off the gas as a corner approached, leaning down to the left until the chopper's foot peg almost scraped the asphalt. Coming out of the turn, Calvin straightened up and hit the throttle. The Harley rumbled and surged upright, its front wheel hopping off the ground for a split second. Cutting into the other lane, Calvin slowed down to look in the windows of a bus beside him.

Most of the commuters stared at their phones, but in the middle of the bus, two excited kids pressed their faces against the glass watching the chopper. Calvin sharply twisted the throttle, the chopper's engine growling loudly. After a second, Calvin changed down a gear and dumped the clutch. The black and orange Harley's front wheel lifted off in a steep wheelie as the big bike shot forward. Calvin grinned under his riding mask as he powered on.

Meanwhile, Moe hunched over his battered laptop, typing an email furiously. A second later, a message popped up on screen. "Understood. We will be there. Code phrase is 'Dry Meatballs.' Acknowledge."

Moe typed out a reply and slammed the laptop lid closed. "You're going the fuck down, Watterson."

Three exhausting hours later, Susie and Cheryl staggered out of the salon, followed by their respective mothers."Remember, girls, don't touch your faces or your hair until the prom is over," Cheryl's mom stressed. "We know," Susie and Cheryl chorused.

Meanwhile at his house, Calvin picked up the phone and dialed Jimmy. The genius answered, sounding rather nervous. "Calvin? What's up?"

Calvin sat back in his Rolls-Royce recliner. "I need you to send over a drone. I got a present for you."

"How big is it?" Jimmy asked. Calvin picked up an object off his shelf. "Not too big; it can fit in one hand."

"A drone will be over in a minute," Jimmy replied, hanging up.

Five minutes later, Calvin heard a buzzing sound outside his window. A small drone hovered outside the house with a cargo tray dangling underneath. Calvin opened his window and deposited the present into the drone's tray. The drone beeped once and zipped off.

In the car on the way back to her house, Cheryl nudged her mom. "Is it normal to be this nervous?"

"About what, dear?" Mrs. Beckett asked. "About the prom? Of course it's normal to be nervous."

"It's not just that," Cheryl sighed. "It's also about Jimmy."

"What about Jimmy?" Mrs. Beckett shrugged. "He's a lovely young man, and he's a wonderful date for you."

"I know," Cheryl nodded. "It's just; I'm worried. What if he does what Drew did?"

Cheryl's mom pulled over to the side of the road so fast, Cheryl almost got whiplash. "Listen to me, baby. No one, and I mean no one, is ever going to do that to you again. Jimmy wouldn't dare lay a finger on you; he loves you. It's so obvious that he thinks the world of you, and even if he tried anything, well; let's just say there's a reason people say the most dangerous place in the world is between a mama bear and her cub."

Cheryl nodded, sniffling slightly. Mrs. Beckett immediately grabbed a tissue and dabbed at Cheryl's face. "It's okay sweetie. Tonight's going to be amazing. I know Jimmy will make sure of that."

Cheryl smiled tearfully. "Thanks, mom."

Back at Calvin's house, the blond mechanic's phone rang with a call from Jimmy.

"Speak on it," Calvin answered with a flourish.

Jimmy's voice came through the line, sounding rather confused. "What do I need with cologne? What's wrong with regular deodorant?"

"Seriously?" Calvin asked incredulously. "You've never used it before?"

"No," Jimmy replied. "Why would I need to?"

Calvin rolled his eyes. "To smell good for Cheryl, why else?"

"Oh," Jimmy said after a minute. "Thanks, Calvin."

"Don't mention it, buddy," Calvin smiled, hanging up.

Song: Dido – "The Closer You Get, The Better I Feel"

Soon, the sun began to sink in the sky over Cityville. Susie had just slipped her dress on, when the doorbell rang. Susie quickly pulled on her shoes and dashed out of her room. At the top of her stairs, Susie stopped short. Calvin stood at the foot of the stairs, accompanied by Susie's parents; Calvin's own parents stood slightly to the side. Calvin turned to see Susie, and flashed his trademark mischievous grin. Susie blushed, and began to walk down the stairs. Susie's parents snapped picture after picture of their daughter, while Calvin smiled excitedly.

Susie took in Calvin's appearance on her way down the stairs. Calvin was dressed in a form-fitting black suit that hugged his trim figure. The fabric of the jacket and pants was so dark, the suit looked like a Photoshopped hole in the fabric of space-time. In stark contrast, his blond hair practically glowed. Under the suit jacket, Calvin wore a grey shirt with a bright orange tiger-stripe pattern, and a belt with a buckle shaped like a tiger's head. Calvin held a small box behind his back, and in spite of his confident smile, Susie could see Calvin's toes tapping in nervousness.

Calvin stood speechless as Susie descended the stairs, clad in a gorgeous dress. Susie's prom gown came down to her ankles, a beautiful shiny dark silver with orange trim. The dress left Susie's shoulders bare, and the back was open, plunging down to the lower curve of her spine. A thin gold necklace hung on Susie's neck, sparkling in the light, and a gold bangle decorated her left wrist. Susie's face was subtly made up, and her hair fell around her slim face in gorgeous, free-flowing waves. Susie's brown eyes sparkled, and she practically glowed with pride

At the foot of the stairs, Susie practically leaped into Calvin's outstretched arms. Cheering and the snap of camera shutters made all the noise of a stadium crowd, as Calvin gently cupped Susie's face in both hands, and slowly brought his lips to press against hers. Susie put her arms around Calvin's shoulders and melted into the kiss, pressing her body against Calvin and closing her eyes.

After a split second and an eternity, Calvin slowly broke the kiss, and the two teens opened their eyes. "Wow…" Susie breathed. Calvin grinned. "Definitely wow," he replied softly. Calvin moved one hand to Susie's face and gently brushed away a stray strand of hair.

Susie shivered at the touch, and Calvin leaned forward again. Susie closed her eyes as Calvin's lips lightly bussed the crown of her forehead. "You look beautiful."

Calvin's voice echoed in Susie's head, even though his mouth didn't move.

Susie stared at her boyfriend in shock. "How?" was her only coherent thought.

Calvin smirked. "I figured this out today. What do you think?"

Susie concentrated, and heard her own voice in her head forming words. "This is awesome. Scary, but amazing."

Calvin's laugh rang through Susie's mind, and she blushed.

"Oh, before I forget, I have something for you." Calvin brought the small box out from behind his back. Susie grinned. "As if you'd actually forget. You've been bouncing on your toes to show me since I came down here."

Calvin returned the smile with a shy smirk. "Just tell me what you think." He passed Susie the box and undid the clip with a flick of his fingers.

The box's lid rose up, and Susie's jaw dropped. Nestled in the box was a gorgeous metal corsage. The simple silver bracelet chain held an exquisitely detailed gold rose, held in place with silver vines.

"Calvin," Susie gasped in astonishment.

Calvin smiled and slid the corsage on Susie's wrist, before he found himself pulled into a deep, warm kiss.

"Pictures!" Mrs. Derkins called, brandishing a camera. Calvin and Susie stood beside each other, holding hands for the first shot. After the camera clicked, Susie turned so her back was pressed against Calvin's chest, and his arms were wrapped around her. Calvin and Susie's parents' faces were the picture of pride as they watched their respective children embrace each other. After the camera had been put away, Calvin's father handed Calvin a key fob with the BMW logo on it. Calvin's jaw dropped. "You're letting me-?"

"Yes," Calvin's dad nodded seriously, before breaking into a wide grin. "Now get going before I come to my senses."

Calvin led Susie across to his house's garage and clicked the button to raise the door, grinning like a kid in a candy store whose Christmases had all come at once. Inside the Wattersons' garage was a beautiful car: a BMW M3. The German masterpiece of engineering was painted a sublime pearl white, and sat barely two inches off the ground on black Forgiato rims. The M3's wheel-arches extended outwards to accommodate the wide wheels, and a gorgeous kit set from Liberty Walk replaced the body paneling. Along the doors was written the famous quote, Imagine all the people, living life in peace. This car was Mr. Watterson's pride and joy.

Calvin unlocked the M3 and opened the passenger door for Susie. Susie gingerly climbed in, and Calvin shut the door for her before climbing into the driver's seat.At the push of the button, the M3 came to life with a rumble and a growl. The German V8 thudded heavily in the two teens' chests. Calvin put the car in gear and raised the suspension, turning to Susie with a smile. "Ready?"Susie squeezed Calvin's hand. "So ready."Back in the Derkins' house, both sets of parents watched the gorgeous car make its way down the street and turn the corner, vanishing from sight.

Song: "IceKream - "3KB"

After ten minutes of driving, Calvin and Susie turned the corner onto Main Street. Susie pointed out the window to the left. Calvin turned to see Jimmy's hover-Camaro emerge from a side street far ahead. Calvin wound the windows down and put his foot to the floor. The M3's engine snarled and the car shot forward, quickly catching up to the Camaro. Calvin shouted out the window. "Nice night for a drive, huh?"

Cheryl grinned and waved to Calvin. Jimmy hit the gas and the Camaro pulled ahead.

Soon, the pair of vehicles entered Central Cityville. Towering buildings grasped at the sky, glowing with light. On the sidewalks, citizens strolled by, late-night shopping or dining. At this time of night, the city seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. Calvin lowered the M3's suspension, slowly cruising along in front of Jimmy's Camaro. People on the sidewalks waved to the four teenagers dressed to the nines. A minute later, Calvin and Jimmy's cars passed an enormous Hummer stretch limousine. Bass pounded inside the outrageous vehicle, and a number of students were standing up through the sunroof, waving their arms and yelling excitedly.

After a drive through town, the Watterson's M3 and Jimmy's Camaro pulled up outside Warehouse 14, Cityville's most exclusive venue. Students were getting dropped off or driving to the venue in cars of their own. Calvin got out of the M3 and helped Susie up from her seat, before tossing the BMW's keys to a waiting valet. Meanwhile, Jimmy pressed a button on his Camaro's key. The hover car smoothly lifted high in the air and autonomously zoomed off out of sight.

Song: Madden - "Alive"

Calvin and Susie stepped up to the bouncers and showed their school IDs, followed by Jimmy and Cheryl. The two hulking men examined the cards and waved the four teens through.Inside the club was an impressive scene. The building's interior was glowing with soft gold light. On the high ceiling, enormous white cloth flowers slowly revolved in an invisible breeze, casting dancing shadows everywhere. On the floor, crowds of people milled around between elegantly decorated tables, chatting, laughing and dancing. At the far end of the room, two DJs stood behind a desk, the speakers pumping out a catchy beat.

Cheryl grabbed Jimmy's hand and pulled him with her onto the dance floor, just as the beat dropped. The slim redhead exploded into motion, taking Jimmy along for the ride. Calvin turned to Susie and held out his hand. "Care to dance?" he smiled.

Susie looked around nervously at the crowds of people, before Calvin lightly squeezed her hand. "Come on; it'll be fun."

Susie nodded and smiled, following Calvin onto the dance floor. Calvin broke into a moonwalk, beckoning to Susie with both hands as he slid backwards onto the floor. As if to illustrate Calvin's point, at that moment, a disco ball lowered from the ceiling and flashed into life. Calvin twirled around on one foot and struck a perfect Michael-Jackson-style pose. Susie laughed, and ran forward to dance with Calvin.

Meanwhile, Cheryl and Jimmy were dancing in the middle of a circle of people. Cheryl spun around in Jimmy's arms and stepped back, pressing every curve of her body into his as she raised her arms over her head, gyrating to the beat. Jimmy wore a grin as wide as a freeway as his girlfriend sensually danced with him, unmindful of the crowds around them.

Susie spun away from Calvin, raising her hand above her head to twirl gracefully, before Calvin pulled her back, and she spun into his arms with a breathless laugh. Calvin put his hands on Susie's hips, and the two teens shared a long embrace. "You having fun?" Calvin asked with a cheeky grin. Susie smiled widely. "Hell yeah!"

After the song finished, Mr. Maxwell stood up on the stage and grabbed the microphone from one DJ. "How's everyone enjoying prom?" he called out, to the sound of cheers.

"It's time for dinner," Mr. Maxwell addressed the crowd. "Don't worry, you can all get back to dancing right after. Everyone get to a table, and food will be ready in a minute."

Song: Sting – "Fields of Gold"

The DJs turned up a slow song, and the students began walking to the rows of tables dotted around the room. Up above, the bright lights slowly dimmed to a soft mix of pink and blue. Calvin and Susie sat down at their own table, next to Jimmy, Cheryl and Mike Sullivan. Mike pulled out a chair, and a gorgeous girl gracefully sat down.

Calvin grinned. "Hey Mike, who's your date?"

Mike smiled and put his arm around the statuesque blonde. "This is my friend Jessica. She's homeschooled, and she wanted to go to a real prom."Jessica smiled. "Nice to meet you all."

"Likewise," Susie and Cheryl smiled.

Just then, a bell rang, and a pair of double doors swung open. An army of waiters marched through, carrying trays piled high with food, from sizzling roasts, to brightly colored vegetables, to delicious arrays of bread and cheeses. The waiters fanned out as if choreographed, gracefully depositing their plates on the tables and vanishing without a word. Calvin and the others ravenously tucked in, and silence fell over the hall; the comfortable silence of people enjoying their meal too much to bother speaking.

Calvin heaped his plate with roast meats; chicken, beef and lamb, before choosing a selection of vegetables. Beside him, Susie copied, with a smaller portion size. Cheryl and Jimmy filled their plates, and gestured to Mike and Jessica to take food of their own. Soon, Cheryl was the first one to break the silence. "Mike, what are you planning to do after high school?"

Mike put down his glass and smiled. "I'm going into property. My parents are close to retirement and I want to inherit the business and make them proud."

"You're gonna be loaded the rest of your life, dude," Calvin interrupted.

Mike shrugged. "I figure I'll also be a philanthropist if I have too much money lying around."

"He's being modest," Jessica smiled, putting her hand on Michael's arm. "Before he starts slaving away, I convinced him to come to Africa with me for a year, to build houses."

Susie leaned over and whispered to Cheryl. "Can you please find something wrong with her so I don't feel so much like a slug?"

Jessica turned to Susie and smiled. "It's okay, nobody's perfect."

Susie blushed as Jessica lifted one sleeve of her dress to show rows of thin white lines. "I didn't have the best time in school," Jessica said sadly. "That's why I switched to being homeschooled."

Cheryl reached across the table and squeezed Jessica's hand. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. You're still here, and that means you win." Everyone around the table nodded their assent.

Michael turned to Calvin. "What are you going to do after high school, Calvin? I assume you'll be doing something creative?"

"I want to open my own mechanic shop," Calvin replied. "And I don't mean just changing tires and oil; I want to own the best custom shop in the goddamn country."

"An admirable goal, my friend," Michael nodded. "If you need premises, I'll see if I can dig something up."

Jimmy leaned forward. "I'm going to NYU, to study electrical engineering."Michael laughed. "As if you even need to study any more! We've all seen what you can do; it's a wonder you don't own your own tech company already!"

Jimmy flushed with pride at the compliment, as Susie and Cheryl turned to Jessica.

"What do you study?" Susie asked the tall blonde. Jessica smiled. "I study marketing and economics. I want to make a real difference in places that need it."

Michael patted Jessica on the shoulder. "She's a real saint, this one," he grinned. Jessica had the grace to blush before she turned to Cheryl. "I heard from Michael that you got a personal acting scholarship invite from Martha Rogers herself!"

"It was a hell of a shock," Cheryl replied. "Not as much of a shock as finding out Susie's studying to be the next Premiere Judge! She's got it in the bag already!"

Michael and Jessica nodded appreciatively. "I have no doubt you'll live up to your grandfather's legacy," Michael smiled. Susie blushed and took another bite shyly.

Song: Boy Epic – "Tell Me You Love Me"

Soon after dessert was finished, the band took center stage, and a second later, the pianist started playing. Calvin and Susie walked out onto the dance floor, followed by Jimmy and Cheryl. The spotlights lit up, illuminating the two couples and the band's vocalist. As the four teenagers danced, the vocalist started to sing.

"Tell me you love me just one time. Just give me one night."

Calvin and Susie gently clasped hands and stood close together, beginning to step to the music. Susie's chocolate-brown eyes practically glowed in the soft light, sparkling with excitement.

"I'll be the secret on your lips. Let me be that one kiss."

Calvin and Susie shared a long embrace, before beginning to dance.

"If you fall, fall into my arms!"

Calvin slowly pulled Susie closer to him, so their foreheads touched. "I love you, Susie," he whispered. Susie's eyes slowly opened, and she placed her hand on the back of Calvin's neck, pulling him in close.

"Come and fall! Break down your walls and…"

"I love you too, Calvin," Susie whispered into Calvin's ear. With that, Susie straightened up and pressed her lips to Calvin's, and the singer on stage began the chorus.

"Tell me you love me one time!

I can see the truth in your eyes!

Say you will forget tomorrow, and be with me tonight.

Just tell me you love me one time, and this isn't goodbye."

Cheryl and Jimmy slowly spun around the dance floor, both teens taking turns leading; Cheryl's dress flowing around her like water. Jimmy's brand new shoes glowed blue in the darkness, the circuit patterns in his suit catching the spotlights. Inspired by the two couples, more students began to take to the floor.

"I know I can't ask you to stay," the vocalist sang. "But I've stayed awake."

Cheryl broke the silence and looked deep into Jimmy's eyes. "I never thought I'd get to do this with someone I loved." The tall redhead reached up and playfully brushed a strand of Jimmy's black hair away from his face.

"Now my eyes are open, I won't miss a thing. Here is my heart and I hope that's okay, cause you are the one."

Jimmy smiled softly. "I love you too, Cheryl."

"So if you fall, fall into my arms! Come and fall! Break down your walls and…"

Cheryl stopped dancing and pulled Jimmy's lips in to meet hers, just as the band swelled into a thundering chorus.

"Tell me you love me one time.

I can see the truth in your eyes.

Say you will forget tomorrow, and be with me tonight.

Just tell me you love me, one time!"

The music swelled and reverberated through the building, the strings and piano woven together in harmony. The lights grew brighter as the music thundered, until the whole dance floor was illuminated in bright white light. The crowd of students dancing resembled a swarm of exquisite butterflies, wings flashing brightly as they spun and whirled in time to the music.

In the center of the dance floor, Calvin and Susie slowly and carefully broke their kiss, as though their lips were glass and the slightest jolt could shatter the moment.

"Tell me you love me one time." The singer on stage softly delivered the last lines of the song. "Just tell me you love me one time."

The song ended slowly, and the two couples came back to their senses. All around them, other couples held each other close, or were in the middle of kisses. The blond singer on stage took a low bow and put the microphone back up to his mouth. The pianist started playing some chords, accompanied by the guitarist.

Song: Loving Caliber - "Stay Here With Me"

Around the room, people started clapping to the beat and stomping their feet. Susie took Calvin's hands and pulled him close to her into a passionate kiss. As the crowd watched, Calvin and Susie spun around, lost in the moment. Jimmy and Cheryl watched the couple dance; Jimmy held Cheryl in his arms, resting his head on her shoulder.

On the dance floor, Calvin and Susie practically floated in the air, perfectly in sync with each other. Calvin extended his arm over his head and Susie spun underneath, before whirling back into the blond teen's arms.

The crowd clapped along with the beat as Calvin and Susie danced. When the song reached the bridge, Calvin slowly stepped into Susie and touched his forehead to hers. "I love you," Calvin thought to Susie.

"I love you too, you noodle-loaf," Susie thought back. Calvin laughed out loud, and as the song finished, he dipped Susie low to the floor, catching her lips in a deep kiss. The assembled crowd cheered as Calvin lifted Susie back up, breaking the kiss. Susie's eyes fluttered open and she stumbled slightly. "Wow," she breathed. "That's the first time that's happened."

Calvin grinned. "There's more where that came from."

"Why don't you stay; stay cause I could really use a friend,

Stay; please stay cause my heart really needs to mend,

Somewhere; somehow I guess I lost it all!

Stay; stay here with me."

Song: Astronaut- "Champions" (ft. Harry Brooks Jr)

As the DJ played a new song, Mr. Maxwell stood up on stage and grabbed the microphone. "Okay everyone," he began. "It's time for the highlight of the evening; announcing this year's Prom King and Queen!"

An expectant hush fell over the crowd as Mr. Maxwell drew a slip of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. "I have to say, it was a really close call this year, but you all know there's no such thing as a draw for King and Queen!"

On the dance floor, Calvin and Susie shared a quick glance with Jimmy and Cheryl. Cheryl gave Susie a small wink, before returning her attention to the stage.

Mr. Maxwell cleared his throat and turned the piece of paper to face the crowd. "I give you, your prom King and Queen; Calvin Watterson and Susie Derkins!"

As Mr. Maxwell shouted out their names, a pair of spotlights swung down to point at the couple, and the crowd of students exploded into raucous cheers. Calvin wore a look of astonishment, while Susie wore a mile-wide grin as the couple ascended the steps to the stage. Calvin and Susie shook Mr. Maxwell's hand, and the teacher beamed proudly before placing crowns on both their heads. "Well done you two."

With that, the two teenagers faced the cheering crowd and took a bow.

Song: Jetta - "I'd Love to Change the World" (Matstubs Remix)

Moe ground his teeth in fury as Watterson stood on stage in a stupid crown next to the dyke Derkins. "If you assholes are even listening," he growled, "the meatballs were fucking dry." Moe stood up from his table, tossing his glass on the floor where it shattered and ripping the microphone from his shirt, crushing it underfoot.

Moe raised his arm and the glowing red Glock materialised in his hand. Up on stage, the Derkins bitch gasped, drawing Watterson's attention. At that moment, the front door of the club was smashed inward. Moe growled and pulled the trigger. The glock went off with a loud crack, and there was a blur of motion on the stage. Watterson went flying backwards as Derkins crashed into him, blood spilling from the hole in her side.

Song: Barry Adamson - "It's Business as Usual"

Calvin picked himself up, his ears ringing, and stopped in horror. Susie lay sprawled across him, her prom queen crown lying dented on the stage. A puddle of blood spread from a gaping hole in her side, staining Calvin's suit from grey to black. Wordlessly, Calvin pressed his hand to Susie's wound. Bandages flowed from Calvin's fingers, wrapping tightly around Susie's still form. Calvin slowly laid Susie down on the stage, before getting to his feet.

The club was in chaos. Armed riot police were swarming in, surrounding the students, tackling people to the ground, and the air stank of pepper spray.

Jimmy let loose a wild yell and leaped off the stage, launching himself at Moe as a battle axe materialised in his hands. Moe panicked and shot at the raging genius. Jimmy howled as blood sprayed from his shoulder, but he swung the axe as hard as he could.

"NO!" Cheryl screamed, rushing forward. Just before Jimmy's attack connected, the genius was tackled and wrestled to the ground by at least ten police officers. Just as Cheryl broke into a sprint towards Jimmy, an invisible hand wrapped around her middle and yanked her back toward the stage, where she fell next to Susie's limp body. "Oh no, Susie, no sweetie, stay here," Cheryl whispered to Susie before she faced Calvin with desperation all over her face. "Help him," she whispered. Calvin nodded once.

Moe turned to run from the armed officers, when an enraged roar froze his blood. A second later, a wall of orange fur and muscle skidded to a stop in front of him. Hobbes was truly enormous, his teeth bared and his fur bristling with rage. Moe managed to raise one shaking arm, holding a conjured gun. Hobbes swiped with one mighty paw, slashing through an armoured cop with a sickening crunch.

Moe fired the pistol in his hand, hitting Hobbes in the side. The enraged tiger shot forward, and the last thing Morris "Moe" Malone saw was teeth.

Calvin ran forward, swinging a pair of conjured hammers at the riot police in his way, but it wasn't enough. Jimmy was being hauled off towards the main exit in handcuffs. One riot officer fell as a hammer struck his helmet, but another whipped out a can of pepper spray and blasted Calvin in the face. Calvin screamed at the burning in his eyes and turned tail, running back towards the stage. At the edges of his hearing, Calvin could hear students screaming, thuds of knuckles on flesh, and the crack of batons on bone.

Calvin hauled himself up on the stage next to Susie and Cheryl, gasping with effort. "Where's Jimmy?" Cheryl gasped.

"They...they took him," Calvin choked. "I was...too late," he said, before coughing violently into his arm. "Susie's dead, and Jimmy's gone."

A second later, Calvin rocked backwards with the force of Cheryl's hand meeting his face. "Listen to me!" Cheryl shouted over the noise of the riot. "Susie is still alive! We need to get her to the hospital!"

Calvin's breath caught as Cheryl pressed his hand to Susie's neck. Below the stage, a line of riot police had assembled, pointing their weapons at the three teenagers.

"Put your hands up," someone shouted.

Calvin slowly put his hand on Susie's chest and took Cheryl's hand. "Brace yourself," he whispered. "I've never done this before; I don't know if I even can."

"Put your goddamn hands in the air," one of the riot officers yelled again.

Calvin closed his swollen eyes and fixed a look of concentration on his face. A blue light began emanating from Calvin's hands, glowing brighter by the second. Cheryl shielded her face with her free hand, just as three things happened instantaneously. The line of riot police opened fire, Calvin screamed in abject agony, and the three teenagers disappeared in a thunderous crash, leaving nothing behind but the echoing roar of thunder and the smell of ozone.


End file.
